A/N: Hello once again, Fanfiction Enthusiasts!
The next chapter awaits!
Symbols Guide:
* : Written by CM; She writes for Akari and Hiei
3 : Written by Star (supposed to be the 'heart' symbol, but FF doesn't like the 'less-than' sign, so it's a 3 instead); She writes for Toriko and Kurama
~!**!~ : A universal transition between scenes or characters, sometimes used to indicate a passage of time, but most often used to transition between major scenes that are happening. As the story progresses, this will evolve into mainly separating the (usually two) scenes happening between authors/characters.
As a general rule, anything in italics is thoughts.
Unless it's used in a sentence like this, which merely indicates emphasis.
"Quotations are usually reserved specifically for telepathic dialogue being transmitted from one being to another, but sometimes this can also mean a character isn't being careful about what they're thinking and anyone with telepathy in the nearby vicinity can listen in without taking any effort."
The only exception to that last rule is for the Shiba Inu dog, Nabu. All of his "spoken" dialogue will be in italics and quotations, but is communicated through body language or dog-like noises, so unless a character is able to translate those they are unlikely to pick up on what he is saying any more than the average person might understand his general moods like aggression (bared teeth, ears back) or excitement (wagging tail).
Previously on Yu Yu Hakusho!
Yusuke asks Akari about what's actually been bothering her this whole time,
and while she doesn't tell him about Kurama's offer to remove all of her scars,
Yusuke gets the gist of what's going on and he ends up suggesting
that she decide which option she "couldn't live without."
They leave the ramen stand and head to Akari's place,
but not before getting jumped by a group of thugs,
whom they promptly run into the ground and continue on their way.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku and Hiei learn that Uryo is apparently a newcomer to the Ninth Level,
a master swordsman and a roaring drunk,
capable of seeing the energy that Shikiyou constantly emits as a persistent scent.
Through Taka's conversation with Hiei, the bird demon learns that Hiei
is Shikiyoku's current Champion, much to Taka's chagrin.
Uryo brings over the lur'mog and they also learn that
Ryou is actually Uryo's companion.
Taka attempts to invite himself to Shikiyoku's room,
and the she-demon tells him to get his own room.
Hiei had kept his expression blank with the interaction he was witnessing, not feeling any source of malice from the brute who towered over Shikiyoku. He did, however, set both feet on the floor and sit up straighter, leaning forward only slightly in anticipation, just in case.
If he could help it, he didn't really want to fight this one.
But he hadn't exactly been expecting the odd sense of cordiality that rolled off of Uryo when he ruffled her hair. Again, he didn't outwardly react, but inwardly he found himself slightly amused. He glanced to Uryo, looking up at him in a way that might seem comical to others, what with the height difference. He raised a brow, regarding the demon and the dragon companion that was around his shoulders.
"Quite an interesting creature you have there," he said casually, as if attempting to make friends with him. In reality, he simply wanted to ensure that there wouldn't be much of a problem. This was among one of the easiest ways to do such a thing.
He turned away, glancing at the cups on the table, all empty, and for a moment contemplated trying it despite his earlier thoughts of the beverages. He turned his eyes a different direction, in time to see the last moment between Shikiyoku and Taka, eyes narrowing momentarily before his blank expression returned and his eyes followed the retreating Shikiyoku.
He couldn't decide whether or not he should follow.
~!**!~
Akari wiped her hands on her jeans, glad she had decided not to wear the school uniform for the day. It made it easier to blend in, but at the same time, she felt much more comfortable. She turned and began walking away from the scene, expression holding slight remnants from the anger she'd felt from the moment.
"I was going to change before we head to the arcade," she reminded him, glancing at him to see the smile on his face was one filled with glee. Her own smile spread across her face; she couldn't help it, his cheery attitude was almost infectious.
"And we were musing about how your girlfriend would murder you if she saw us. Sounds rather like a drama, eh?" *
Yusuke followed after her.
"Or a soap opera, am I right?" He grinned, he raised his hands dramatically, "'But why was she found wearing your jacket?' 'I told you there's nothing going on between us!' 'Well, that's good because she's dead!'" Yusuke gasped, putting a hand to his chest in mock-astonishment.
~!**!~
Taka couldn't help it. As Shikiyoku turned to leave, he stood up abruptly in his chair, making it jerk behind him with a noise as he took one step away from the table.
Oh, those eyes.
Uryo stood in his way, and that gave Taka pause for thought, plus there were servers and other demons walking behind him and blocking his path, but he placed a hand on Uryo's shoulder as if to excuse himself and slip behind him, eyes trailing along Shikiyoku's dark tresses as they waved around her waist. 3
Hiei kept his eyes on Shikiyoku's back until he couldn't see her through the crowd that seemed to only just now boom around them, moving about and blocking his sight of that side of the room. He stared unblinkingly in that direction, as if he could see her still, though really his nose paved the path for him. His nostrils flared just briefly with the small intake of breath, suddenly realizing just how strong her scent had become in the tavern full of alcohol and sweat.
It was a very appealing scent, and his mind seemed to focus on it completely.
So, when Taka stood abruptly, Hiei silently moved to his own feet, as if calmly mirroring the sudden desire the other had to follow.
"Get your own room."
Crimson eyes narrowed only slightly, and as Uryo stood in Taka's way, Hiei merely moved to bypass the both of them, sending a very brief glance towards the birdlike demon as he slipped by.
~!**!~
Akari rolled her eyes, threw her hands up by her face, palm outwards and fingers spread out in a mock motion of fear. "Please, spare me! I swear, nothing happened! I was just… I was only in need of a little assistance!"Akari gave a small huff of a laugh as she took a turn around a block, her ramshackle house coming into view. Even from here, she found herself raising a brow at the small form that she could just make out jumping around in the tall, unkempt grass in the front yard.
"My death would be rather comical, to be quite honest. What a soap opera that would be." *
"I dunno if Keiko would actually murder you. I'd be the one getting the death glares anyway, so if looks could kill, it'd be my body lying out on the floor." He laughed, "She probably wouldn't even be mad at you. She'd just think I was up to something." He absently rubbed his cheek where he'd gotten slapped one to many times for his taste.
"She'd have a mean left hook though, if she ever decided to close her fingers."
~!**!~
After a moment of the crowd that jumbled by her jostling her about, that side of the tavern became very quiet as Shikiyoku's scent started to catch their noses as she passed.
The roar from the other side of the building had not stopped, but in this particular area, apparitions began to notice her and step aside as if she parted them as she flowed in between their ranks. Their eyes followed her path towards the stairs.
Taka still stood staring after her as the boisterous demons nearby began to quietly settle and track after Shikiyoku, some of them standing with their mouths slightly open much like he did, and he made a move to follow after her, finding an arm blocking his way. Only then did he blink and look down, then over to Uryo's face.
The swordsman's eyes also watched in that direction, but he did not seem to be fixated upon Shikiyoku's form, instead having caught the glance the shorter demon aimed at Taka-and thus stopping the bird-and examining the faces of the only vaguely murmuring crowd Shikiyoku walked through.
As Shikiyoku disappeared up the stairs, the spell on the other demons of the room lifted and the murmur slowly built back up; she had not looked at any of them and thus none were invited.
The demons of this city were stronger than those of the last to say the least.
Ryou had stood up on the shoulder nearest to Taka, his eyes swirling red as he glanced into Uryo's face.
"Mm." Uryo said in response to something that passed between him and Ryou, giving a slight nod to the dragon.
"I would watch your step around that one." Uryo said to Taka, indicating with another little nod towards Hiei. "That fire demon is much too reserved for one of our type. He's liable to explode keeping everything pent up inside like he does."
Taka's eyes widened as he slid them back to watch Hiei go.
Taka hadn't even realized the shorter apparition was a fire elementalist. He certainly didn't act like one.
"And let me just say that you certainly won't want to be around when his fire side does explode."
Ryou had told Uryo of Hiei's Koorime heritage. The little dragon could sense it. It did explain a lot, but one day or another that fire type was going to come blazing out, and woe be to anyone standing in his way when it did. Fires were always passionate and easily angered… And being a 'cursed child' certain didn't help those qualities. Luckily for the rest of Demon World, it seemed for now the fire side was dormant.
It didn't take much for Taka to put two-and-two together.
He's a fire demon...AND a Koorime?
Duh.
A chill ran down Taka's spine as he thought of the implications.
He had to speak to Shikiyoku before she skipped town. 3
Hiei's eyes slid away from Taka after the brief moment of staring at the demon who had been stopped a second time. He let his arms move with the motion of his body as he followed after Shikiyoku, not even taking the moment to look at the demons staring in front of him as he passed.
He slightly wondered if his deadly silence would grab some attention, but he highly doubted it and shoved the thought away, his feet beginning to climb up the stairs. He hadn't heard anything that Uryo muttered, only the voice that was speaking but not caring enough to listen in to the words and figure out the actual meaning behind them.
It was of no consequence to him.
As he continued up the stairs calmly, eyes pointed forward, now finally able to see the female since there were no bodies between his and hers. The way her hair moved seemed to make her scent drift backwards, making him blink very slowly as he continued behind her, footsteps only heard when the wood creaked beneath his weight.
~!**!~
Akari glanced at the detective for a moment before shrugging at him, as if shrugging away the conversation. "I wouldn't be worried. You're quick enough to make a run for it. Make a fake passport and disappear until her wrath subsides. Not too difficult, really," she mused, smirking in amusement as she walked up the sidewalk, her home now close enough that she could hear Nabu's yipping at an insect he was playing with and his small body rustling the green grass.
She lead the way up to her door and pushed it open with ease, the door creaking open and gaining the attention of the pup in the grass, whose head suddenly appeared above the weeds.
"Akari!"
"I'm not here long, Nabu. Just to clean up and change."
"Aw, okay.."
"Are you hungry?" she asked the dog as she crossed the threshold, more than aware of the pup's bouncing body following after, stepping into the house before the door swung shut on its own behind him.
"No, I found a dead bird."
"Scrumptious." she commented as she grabbed a new shirt, pulling Yusuke's jacket from her shoulders and tossing it to the boy before moving to the next room, waiting until she was out of sight before pulling her shirt over her head and looking down at the bandages that hung very, very loosely around her stomach, the fabric red and ruined from the fight earlier.
On the bright side, it hadn't reopened enough to cause concern. Just in one area, right above her navel. She gave a small sigh and turned on the kitchen sink, running her fingers under the water and carefully rinsing away the dried, crusted blood on her skin as she searched for the bandages that…
That she just realized were in the same room as Yusuke…
And the bed of roses that had yet to disappear…
Hell. *
After getting the green overshirt of his school uniform back and slipping it back on where he just let it hang open, Yusuke respectfully turned away and knelt down to engage Nabu in some good head fluffing.
He heard a sink start running and about that time, a small patch of red on the edge of the inside material of his now-returned overshirt caught his eye and he stood up and whipped around, unable to see her.
"Akari?! You're hurt?" His mind raced back to the Aswang. Didn't she say something bad would happen if its claws scratched her? This is definitely not goo-
Yusuke blinked as his scrutiny of the room made him double take back to where he assumed a sleeping mat would normally be rolled out and his mouth hung open when he saw the golden roses in place instead that could be called little else than...well...a bed.
Flashes of images ran rampant through Yusuke's human, teenage, male mind, blinking rapidly as he tried to bounce his thoughts to something else before he finally snickered, then outright laughed, falling to the floor and holding his stomach as he nearly rolled around.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku had made her way through the crowd almost solemnly, suddenly accosted with memories of her past that blinked like still-imagery in her mind's eye.
This was how things had been at times. A reverence following her, a silence. At least when those around her had been of a high enough strength and resilience to not immediately reach for her.
She represented something that even she herself did not truly understand. Not fully. Not yet.
Regardless, each demon whose eyes followed her found themselves in a pause for thought, emotions stirring in their minds to which they could not put a name. That is why the murmuring of the tavern took a moment to return even after she disappeared, reaching the top of the stairs with the intent to turn down the hallway on the second floor.
She heard a creaking sound behind her, and after taking the final step up onto the landing, she stopped and turned around with her hands on her hips and a gleam in her eyes.
"Taka, I-" She blinked and the gleam faded, replaced with a widening that after a brief surprise seemed carry an extensive amount of...relief, and a bit of tension she hadn't realized she'd been carrying at her shoulders dropped.
That...that wasn't Taka. 3
Hiei didn't stop as Shikiyoku turned to face him, only slowing his steps just a fraction and not even reacting to the name that slipped from her mouth. He simply approached her until he stood on the step below hers, his eyes meeting hers.
"He didn't follow." he finally said, watching her gaze carefully with his own unblinking one. "Your influence on him is rather… potent."
~!**!~
Akari sighed, her eyes beginning to look for another set of bandages, if there was even a possibility of such a thing being in here.
Yusuke's question almost quite literally boomed through the rooms, reaching her ears with no small amount of volume. She sighed; she must not have done a very good job at keeping his jacket from her shirt. "It's nothing," she called back, running her hand under the sink again and reaching for a cloth that she'd had the other night for cleaning up a mess Nabu had made. It was still clean at one corner, so she carefully used to to wipe at the very small amount of crimson liquid that tried to seep through the healing gash.
And the next thing she knew, Yusuke was laughing. Loudly. So loudly, in fact, that it almost hurt her ears.
"What are you laughing about?" She huffed out, not really sure if she'd spoken loud enough for her to hear her. When she was sure no bandages were in sight, she heaved another sigh and pulled the torn shirt back over her body, to cover her scars, and walked into the next room with cautious steps, hoping his back would be to her and she would be able to get away unnoticed.
Of course, even if he did look at her, it wasn't like there'd be much consequence. The rips in her shirt showed little more than her right side and a little of the cut she'd just cleaned.
When she entered the room, she found herself looking down, towards the floor, at the laughing detective that Nabu was sniffing at. "What?" *
That sly fox...
Yusuke didn't get much farther in his head than that, still struck with the giggles at how he hadn't thought about it before when she'd mentioned her problem earlier.
Pros and cons indeed.
He'd gained control of himself enough to give her a beguiling, but somehow innocent expression.
"Nothing!" He chimed, taking to sitting cross-legged on the ground and holding at his ankles with his hands, his grin much too wide to brush aside as 'nothing.' He suddenly dropped the expression, "There's a spot of blood on my shirt." He appeared anxious. "That Ass-wang thing didn't hit you did it?"
~!**!~
Shikiyoku pulled the edge of her lower lip into her mouth and chewed on it at Hiei's words, her eyes shifting briefly to the side to get away from his stare.
"He-" She blinked, unsure why she was about to tell him when he probably couldn't care one way or the other. "We were quite close at one time. You might have even called us 'friends.' Allies at the least. But he had spent a lot of time around me and without the pact his exposure to my powers was unadulterated...unfiltered."
Shikiyoku turned to step into the hallway, doors lining either side that led to rooms that made the tavern more like an inn, selling out the space for...various reasons.
She didn't feel like she needed to say anymore. She and her Champion left the city in the end so that they did not end up having to betray their ally, so that they were not forced to kill him for something that was entirely beyond his control.3
Hiei watched her with a very keen gleam in his eyes, noting the hesitation and making mental note that she either didn't enjoy talking about it, or was hesitant about his own reaction to whatever she was about to say. He almost decided to say he didn't want to know, but deep down he really did. So when she continued, eyes shifting away from him, he listened to each syllable carefully, each waver her voice made as she spoke.
He had figured something along those lines, though the reason for their separation he figured was something she hadn't made out of cheer. And, from the way Taka acted about Shikiyoku, he had a feeling that it had been just as unexpected to him as well, and much more unpleasant.
He took the last step up to the landing and followed after her silently, not pressing on the issue. He'd learned all he needed for the time being. Now he knew that while the demon was not of a threat to her life…
Taka could actually be a potential threat to his if he decided to act on primal desires. Not that he was very worried about it.
"How long has this building stood here?" he suddenly inquired, tactically shifting the conversation to a more…. calm one.
~!**!~
Akari frowned down at the detective, arms crossed over her stomach and a gleam of impatience in her eyes. But her orbs shifted momentarily to the bed of golden flowers and she sighed, realizing he must be laughing at that commodity, though she wasn't exactly sure why it was so funny. It was just roses, after all.
"They won't go away," she grumbled before turning around and spying the roll of bandages that Foko had used previously, placed neatly where she had plucked them from before he'd taken them from her. She snatched them up and moved to the next room again, not looking back at the detective as he asked about being harmed.
"First of all, it's pronounced Ahz-Wong. Secondly, no, it didn't strike me. This is a wound I had gained yesterday during-" she paused, frowning briefly, "training session I had in the Spirit World. I would already be dead if the Aswang had hit me." She returned to the faucet and shut it off, not realizing she'd left it on, and pulled the shirt from her body again, taking with it the last remnants of bandages that barely hung around her body.
Her hands began working quickly with obvious practice, one hand holding the end down while the other moved as far around herself as it could go before she swapped hands, repeating the action as needed.
Nabu sat behind her, at the place where the kitchen broke away from wood and turned to carpet, signifying the change in rooms. His eyes watched her for a moment before he turned back to Yusuke, an ear twitching as he thought.
"Flowers did that. I think he didn't mean to actually hurt her, though."
Of course, he only said it because Akari had told him what had happened- at least, about the gash- but before that the demon had actually bandaged her up.
"Why would he be so confusing?" *
"Hee hee hee." Yusuke let the trio of chuckles slip out of his mouth when she complained about the bed not going away. Like it was going to go away if Kurama didn't want it to.
He listened as Akari spoke, "I...I thought you didn't fight with knives?" Or swords. Or whatever sharp pointy object that would have slit her flesh during a training session.
Yusuke caught Nabu looking about at him and he flicked his eyes back up to look at the spot Akari disappeared behind.
"...he said something to me, didn't he?"
~!**!~
Shikiyoku had continued musing quietly in her mind.
Even in just their short reunion she was reminded of how legendary Taka's self-control was. He'd hardly slipped even an inch here, his flirtatious mannerisms being something he always possessed. And she wasn't exactly making it easy for him either, though that was part of her mannerisms.
Yet it had been Hiei who followed her upstairs and not bird-brain.
At least she could rationalize away the fire demon's presence as 'professional courtesy,' but as to why Taka hadn't followed her as she fully expected him to...that escaped her at the moment.
She sighed a little.
Always forced to keep moving. Always forced to leave everyone behind. The faces of her past Champions flitted across her eyes. In the end, she'd always been left...alone.
Pulled from her thoughts when Hiei spoke up behind her, she replayed the question in her head that she had just missed taking account of.
"It's been like this since I first arrived, so...several centuries at least?" She made a vague gesture at the run-down appearance. "I mean, it doesn't look like it's aged a day since then, but it certainly feels and looks old enough."
Shikiyoku kept moving as she talked and they turned right, going a bit farther before turning right again, the hall extending a good distance in front of them before it looked to turn right again.
As she got into this longer hallway, Shikiyoku stopped about four doors down in front of one to the right and turned the knob, the door making no sound as it swung inward. She moved across the threshold inside where the wooden floor beneath her had the thinnest covering of dust.
It was small. Quite small. Maybe twelve feet from the door to the opposite wall, and it extended about eighteen feet to the right.
There was a window directly opposite them, but it was not terribly clean and had no sill to sit on, about four and a half feet off the ground and set directly into the wall. One or the other of the pair could have very easily slipped through it while crouching, but there did not appear at first glance to be a way to open it.
To the right of the door was a wooden desk and chair, also dusty and void of any decoration, and the rest of the room was bare except for a small bed in the corner up against both walls which Shikiyoku tilted her head at, having forgotten how small the beds were.
Not that it would be a problem for her and Hiei since they were both about the same size and...compact at that. But the quarters would be...their shoulders would definitely be up against one another even if they both lay on their backs.
On the plus side, the bed-two pillows in pillowcases, sheets, a blanket folded up at the foot of it-was remarkably clean and void of dust or dirt.
Shikiyoku let out a long-suffering sigh, turning to see Hiei had followed her inside and stood right behind her just within the door.
She made as if to take a step forward, "I know he's got one more room open down the hall a ways." 3
Hiei assessed the wear in the building, finding himself actually interested in the place despite his first thought of the lackluster subject change. But, it seems to have done its trick, so he stuck with the subject, pausing in the doorway to take in the musty room. It was about what he'd thought it would be: small and not very clean.
The bed, however, seemed rather comfortable from here. He wouldn't mind it so much, despite the size. He glanced at the window, momentarily eyeing it as if maybe looking a little longer would make a windowsill appear.
When Shikiyoku moved, speaking, he considered her for a moment, not sure if that meant she didn't want him here or if she thought he himself wouldn't want to be here.
But the thought of himself being in another room and someone like Taka walking by catching even the smallest whiff of her scent… He frowned slightly. His luck would be that his own room would be on the complete opposite end of the hall, which would mean it would take longer for himself to get here if something happened- even if it was just a second or two longer.
"Leave it," he finally said, moving out of the doorway and sauntering his way inside the room and turning to face her, stopping in the center of the room and staring at her. "I dislike taverns," he spoke, though he mainly referred to the inhabitants within taverns who caused trouble. Trouble not worth the fight.
~!**!~
Akari paused halfway through her bandaging and glanced over in the direction of the living area, unable to see Yusuke for the wall that separated the rooms, but able to see the very edge of the roses through the doorway that lacked an actual door. It was easy to reply to Yusuke's question without lying, since she'd been attempting something of the sort anyway.
"It doesn't hurt to learn new things, Yusuke. And when you don't have energy, it makes it harder to fight long distance when your opponent doesn't allow you to get close enough with fists. It's nothing more than a precaution." She paused, a slight smile ghosting across her features as she thought about her failed attempts to create a dagger with her energy. Perhaps she had lied just a little. "I at least would prefer to know how to block an attack with knives. It's useful, don't you think?"
She went quiet again, her hands resuming in their work to wrap the bandages around her torso some more, until not only she was out, but the last of the cut was covered. At this point, she tied the ends together tightly and grabbed her replacement shirt, the light blue color bright and almost painful to her sensitive eyesight. By the time it was slipped over her head, Nabu had spoken up and Yusuke was asking about his words.
At least he didn't actually understand canines.
"He's just complaining about how confusing people are," she replied casually, ignoring the large huff Nabu aimed at her.
"I wasn't complaining. Just pondering." He turned to face Yusuke again and pranced his way over to the boy with the stripes very lightly coloring his face, stopping in front of his crossed legs and resting his chin on the boy's left knee. "Flowers is confusing," he repeated, his eyes moving to glance at the roses nearby for just a moment before turning back to look up at Yusuke. "But I like him. He's nice." *
Yusuke listened to Akari as she spoke, snorting through his nose.
"If my fists can't do it, I've already lost anyway."
Wouldn't want to use anything besides my hands anyway. Nothin' like the feeling of punching someone. Very tactile. Satisfying. I'll leave the weapons to the other detectives.
He started petting Nabu's soft fur, noticing that the dog glanced back at the bed of roses, and knowing that the small animal could talk made him imagine the various things the pup was saying to him right now.
Yusuke stifled a giggle behind one hand, quickly biting his lips to get his his grin to go away before returning to act as if the various thoughts running through his head had not been there moments before.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku blinked at Hiei as he dismissed her concern. She had somehow felt certain he wouldn't want to be stuck in such close-quarters with...well, anyone.
She closed the door as he swept past, and did not oppose his declaration. Something in the back of her mind, her active portion of the pact if she had chosen to investigate, sang out something that eased away her considerations for Hiei's comfort and she actually felt more calm knowing that he would be in here with her.
As she turned to face him, the room was dark-no light switch anywhere of course-and the daylight outside had vanished, the sky barely visible from the crusted window.
"I'm...sorry." Shikiyoku said to him carefully. She had honestly not thought about him being so adverse to public places, though her head disagreed with her on that note.
He hadn't wanted to risk the city in the first place.
"I was not my intent to make your job more difficult for you." She gestured vaguely to the room, "There are protective wards around each room, so there is no chance of being heard."
No need to say why the wards were there. 3
Hiei stood in the center of the room, hands in his cloak pockets as he regarded Shikiyoku carefully. His eyes searched her face, finding the smallest inkling of surprise and relief in her eyes that she didn't seem to allow further than that gleam. He promptly turned away after assessing the shine in her eyes and continued into the room, wasting no time in stretching out on the bed that was surprisingly clean, considering the rest of the room. He lay on his back on the side closest to the door, ankles crossing and his left arm sliding underneath his head for slight support against the pillow that did very little for the way he lay. His eyes strayed back over to Shikiyoku, watching her again as she apologized.
He didn't respond, since his ire at taverns wasn't really for the building themselves or at her for leading him here to one, but the ruckus inside that he couldn't hear anymore. At least, not very well. He gave a small huff of a scoff. "It's noisy and crowded." He wasn't sure why he felt the need to elaborate, but he did.
His eyes slid closed as he got comfortable, though he had no intention to sleep yet. He wasn't exactly tired anyway.
~!**!~
Akari gave a huff of a laugh as she moved into the living area, momentarily taking a look at the roses and regarding them while her nose inhaled the scent. Briefly, she was reminded of the fact that she'd fallen asleep with Foko nearby, and realized that if Yusuke had any sense of smell stronger than a human's, it was likely he would be able to pick up the very, very slight difference between Foko and Kurama's scent. The difference? Kurama's was more potent. Foko's, while similar, did smell more of other plants as well as roses.
She came back to reality with a sigh as she turned to Yusuke, not catching his chuckles as Nabu's tail thumped on the floor. "If you wanna go, you better get up and get going. I'm about to leave your butt behind." With that, she turned and made for the front door, not waiting on him for even a moment. *
Yusuke scrambled to his feet, casting one last glance at the 'house' around him before scurrying out after Akari's disappearing form.
"So...you got any family back in Demon World?" He asked as he caught up to her and stuffed his hands in his pockets, his green overshirt flapping a little bit as they walked since he hadn't dained to button it back up.
~!**!~
Shikiyoku nodded as he spoke, realizing exactly what he didn't like about the tavern.
After only a blip of a pause in the air, she went over to the bed and crawled up from the bottom into the space he left open. The bed did not so much as jostle him as she made her way up by her hands and knees. She could feel the flush that had settled around her neck starting to fade.
Gonna have to remedy that, she thought and as she lay on her side facing Hiei, her back just barely away from the cool-and dirty-wall of the room to try and leave him as much space as possible. She moved her left hand under the pillow and her right hand she pulled up just under her chin. She looked over at him for a moment thoughtfully before she let her eyes slowly close.
As she grew still, she could feel her hair had spread over the pillow under her between her and Hiei, and while she made a small huff about it being under her head-causing a few strands beneath her mouth to wave around a little-she didn't bother with it.
She lay without moving, her cloak covering the rest of her entirely, enjoying the comfort, then spoke up again.
"I plan on returning after a few hours. There are little to no patrons at that time if you wish to join me. I doubt things have changed around here as far as the ebb and flow of customers."
I bet I can get at least four or five more drinks from the barkeep. Even if he did figure out who I am. That thought put a smile on her face as the psuedo-warmth from the alcohol she had consumed began to disappear entirely. Especially if there's hardly anyone else around. 3
Hiei didn't open his eyes again, not even when he could feel the bed move just slightly with Shikiyoku's movements as she joined him, laying on his right. The silence in the room was a comfortable one. At least, it was comfortable to him.
His mind wandered, his thoughts turning back to the conversation with Taka. What did it matter anyway what Hiei took advantage of and what he left be? Or, rather, what did it matter to the other? It wasn't like the bird demon knew Hiei. There certainly wasn't any influence in Taka's words, aside from slightly confusing him.
Shikiyoku's words paused his thoughts and he nodded once at her in acknowledgement of her words. "Perhaps." It wasn't much of one, but that single word was his form of agreement. He was simply too engrossed in his own mind to say more than that.
Would Taka's influence affect Shikiyoku's view on himself? The question was an odd one, but for some reason, he didn't want the bird demon skewing the woman's view of him.
It's her decision, his mind reminded him, and he swiftly brushed all thoughts away. He simply didn't care.
At least, that's what he told himself.
~!**!~
Akari shrugged at Yusuke as he caught up, Nabu following only until he was out in the grass where he immediately resumed his game with the insects. She glanced back briefly to make sure the dog wasn't following before turning to look at Yusuke once.
She hadn't been asked that question in a long, long time.
"Somewhere, yeah." It was a short reply, somewhat hesitant, but her expression was neutral as she continued. "Not sure where anymore. I haven't been in Demon World for about half my life." A short laugh escaped her. "You'd think I knew more about this world than I do, but schooling shows me how much I do not know about humans." *
"Ugh, school," The word itself expressed exactly how Yusuke felt about that subject. "I don't know why I even bother. There's never anything good and everyone's always hounding me. Do show up, don't show up. Doesn't matter. Someone's always riding my rear about it.
"I'm surprised you think we're interesting enough to study, or whatever you're doing in school."
~!**!~
Shikiyoku's mind drifted pleasantly on the verge of sleep, allowing her ears to remain alert to the silence, but granting her restfulness for the time she wanted to spend downstairs later.
She hardly took notice of the tiny shape that crawled out from behind her head.
The lur'mog weaved around a little, feeling strange as if his whole world had been slowed down, but he managed to successfully scale over Her shoulder, tumbling down onto the bed inbetween She and Hiei.
He sat on his rump for a moment, an obvious flush about his face as everything seemed to move much too fast around him for his tastes.
A bit of air got caught in his throat and he bounced a little as his version of a hiccup jostled his body.
He blinked his eyes and tried to make sense of his surroundings, but they kept moving or were blurry...which meant he was moving. But he wasn't. Right? 3
Hiei forced his mind silent, no longer thinking on anything important or otherwise. He considered adjusting the way he lay, but the idea of moving around wasn't quite as appealing. So he stay there, resting his eyes but not sleeping, not even going near the verge of sleep. He was simply… resting. It was just as fulfilling as sleep to him, and it also allowed him to keep tabs of their surroundings.
He'd done this many times, sometimes without even noticing. And this was one of those times.
A small sound, almost too quiet for him to catch, just barely reached his ears. His eyes slid open and glanced about the room briefly before turning to look at Shikiyoku who, despite how uncomfortable it must be up against the wall as she was, looked quite content where she was.
His eyes moved to a spot that he thought he'd seen move beside him, and quickly he recognized the lur'mog that Shikiyoku had been toying with earlier. He hadn't even known the creature was still with her, much less in the room.
His hand that rested upon his stomach moved slowly towards the creature, his index finger extended to the small animal so he could just touch its head, as if to pet it. Harmless, hm?
~!**!~
Akari again shrugged at Yusuke, disregarding his obvious dislike of school. "Quite honestly, I hated it at first. This world, the people in it. Sensui simply enabled that hatred to grow, as if taking fertilizer to a newly planted shrub." She hesitated, eyes trained forward. "I won't lie, his idea about a tunnel was a very appealing one, at first. I not only had the chance to get back home, but the people who'd brought be here would have been killed in the process. Of course, by that time, your dear friend Toguro had finished off the only remaining humans I'd been hunting for. I was beat to the punch."
She took a deep breath. And then I died.
"Now, though, I guess all I can do is just go through the motions until Koenma allows me freedom to return to demon world, so I can at least go back home for a while. In the meantime, I will learn what I can so I can blend in properly. It just so happens that it has begun to peak my interest in the process." *
"Welp." Yusuke sighed and put his hands behind his head as they walked. "If you really do like school, then I guess we can't be as good of friends as I thought."
~!**!~
At first the creature did have the slightest notion that there was anyone around, except for Her. And with his world bucking and weaving about him, he only sat, bobbing in place a little and slowly turning his head this way and that to try and gauge his surroundings. His large eyes would wink slowly, first one and then the other.
One of the hands at his sides had found its fingers wrapped around the hair he sat upon and he tangled his claws in it, feeling the silky smooth texture as it almost caressed his scaly skin.
As Hiei's reach got within the lur'mog's sight, his eyes grew as wide as possible, entranced by the movement. The tip of his tongue found its way out from between where his lips would be if he had them and he gazed mesmerized as Hiei grew closer, the rest of his body still in quiet anticipation. 3
Hiei's index finger lightly touched the lur'mog's head, running over the scales that were smooth under his touch. Quiet amusement flashed in his red eyes as he witnessed the eyes of the creature grow wide, as if the movement were much too fascinating to be real.
"Foolish creature," he said telepathically to it, his mind sending the thought out of habit. He wasn't sure why, but the small creature was rather fascinating to him.
Maybe it was because the only creatures he'd ever seen in his life were dangerous or annoying.
And this one was neither of those things.
~!**!~
"That's too bad," Akari grumbled, expression neutral, "I was considering throwing a party and you were to be the first invited." Of course, she was only kidding, but whether he would pick up on that or not, she wasn't sure. As she found the arcade coming into view, she stuck a hand in her pocket to gauge the money she had left that was not on a plastic card, fingering the cash momentarily before finding a few coins.
This will do for now.
"As for everyone riding your case, I guess you'll get over it, eh? Want them to stop, then I guess you can do whatever you can to please them." She gave a pause that was used to turn a wide smile onto him that made the corners of her eyes crinkle. "But, what's the fun in that?" *
"Well, then that's too bad," Yusuke fired right back at her, "Because I'll have you know that I'm considered the life of a party!" He jabbed a thumb at himself with a grin.
Yusuke grew silent at her next words, a strange look coming over his face as he kept walking.
"What fun is there indeed..." He mumbled half to himself.
While it had not exactly been said to him in so many words, he had picked up somewhere along the way recently that if there really was something that he wanted or wanted to do, he had the power to be able to do so, and there was hardly anything in the known world that would be able to stop him. Definitely not in Human World anyway. Assuming that the other detectives weren't around.
Ruling the world seemed like a lot of work though. And the fight would hardly be worth taking the time to make.
~!**!~
There were no words to be found in the mind of the lur'mog. None that any creature that did not understand their language would be able to pick up on, if the creature even had such a thing as 'words' in the first place. There was no way to tell.
For the briefest of moments however, his eyes grew wider if possible, for he had heard Hiei's intrusion, but not with his ear-holes and the implications confused him for he did not have the capacity to know what happened.
The alcohol was partially to blame for that. It made his mind muddled for Hiei. The most prominent thought was heightened awareness of the fact that everything around him seemed to be moving so very fast. He lived his life with everything else in slow motion for the vast majority of it.
His emotions were not so foreign or garbled with the alcohol as to be misunderstood, however, and if the gurgling sound that his throat made was not indicative enough of the enjoyment he received under Hiei's attentions, the webbed spines down his back almost completely relaxed against his skin and his eyes slowly closed, the only thought in his head the emotion of pleasure as Hiei touched him.
The lur'mog reached up with a tiny clawed paw to brace himself against Hiei's hand as it moved and rocked him since his balance was off-kilter. And anytime the fire demon started a stroke from the top of his head, he leaned into it and nudged the finger encouragingly.3
Hiei found himself smirking slightly at the lur'mog in amusement, finding the creature rather enjoyable and entertaining for the moment as his finger slid down the head of the creature until he touched its neck and started over, again rubbing at its head with the encouragement he was receiving. He didn't mind the clawed paw that braced against his hand, since the claws didn't touch his skin and even if they did, it wouldn't do much harm to him.
He sat there, continuously petting the creature at the odd angle he was laying until his shoulder began to hurt from the angle at which his arm was bent. At this point, he gently wrapped his hand around the small body and adjusted so that he could set the small lur'mog on his stomach, shifting his weight ever so slightly so that his muscles wouldn't cramp up and he again resumed lightly touching the small body.
This time, Hiei lightly ran his finger along the entire body of the creature, feeling the spines and scales with slight interest.
~!**!~
Akari stayed quiet now as she stepped into the arcade, music now thrumming loudly over the speakers of the building and mixing almost beautifully with the music from the machines in the room. She looked around briefly and considered the different options, some obvious as to their gaming types, but some were vague- at least, to her they were.
She remembered the game Aminuma had played here, or rather, in another arcade, and she found herself searching for anything that had the name "Goblin City" on it, curious about the game that had been reserved for the boy who hadn't gotten to see much of the world.
"Yusuke," she piped up, still standing in the door of the arcade, "What's Goblin City, and where is it?" *
Well, that's a can of worms for sure. Yusuke wryly thought back to the still relatively recent encounter with Game Master.
"This way." Yusuke started weaving a path. He began explaining the premise of the game as they went, careful to leave any mention of Sensui or Aminuma or the group's trial, but making sure Akari knew the game was like a whole bunch of different games in one.
"Here it is!" He sat down at one of the free consoles, but didn't put anything in it yet, "The games it picks are kinda random though." He wrapped up, "So even if you have a favorite, the chances of getting it can sometimes not be in your favor." He sounded as if he'd had experience with such bad luck before.
~!**!~
The scaly creature made no protest when Hiei first picked it up, his eyes open with wonder as the room moved so fast, only curling his paws about the hand which held it, though his tail seemed almost in an instinctive response to wrap around Hiei's wrist.
When Hiei made to resume petting him, the lur'mog slipped his muscled tail off the wrist and instead curled it around his feet and clutched it in his paws, still making quiet gurgling noises of joy as he hunched up.
Shikiyoku's eyes slid open silently.
The lur'mog had pulled at her hair when Hiei removed him, unable to remove the claws he'd woven into the strand he held fast enough and thus getting her attention at the slight tug that had just as quickly disappeared before the creature got too far.
She took in the sight of Hiei with lur'mog without saying a word, closing her eyes when she realized the source of the small pull. There may have been a smile on her lips as she drifted back between the waking and sleeping realms. 3
Hiei raised a brow at the small creature, feeling the odd sensation close to a purr reverberating against his index finger as he continued to slowly rub down the lur'mog's spine, playing with the spikes again each time his finger came in contact with them.
Again, he found himself referring to the creature as foolish, though within the quiet recesses of his mind.
He wasn't sure why, but he rather enjoyed silently petting the creature. So, he decided to lightly tap at its head, curious of what it would do if he began poking at it in a playful manner. Perhaps it was a playful creature?
~!**!~
Akari trailed after Yusuke, listening to his every word carefully as she took literally every step he took until he was sitting down in front of a console. She eyed the screen that danced with letters and numbers, telling her to put in enough credits into the coin slot before she could even consider playing.
"Sounds interesting.." she mused, eyeing it as she considered her options. "Is there a practice thing, where I can learn before playing the entire game, or is it a learn-as-you-play kind of thing?" *
Yusuke rested his face in a hand, turned to watch her, with his elbow on the console he sat in front of.
"It's learn-as-you-play." He..wasn't really sure if he could play this game again just yet. The memories of Aminuma and Kurama were too vivid still. He was determined that Akari should play it though, and if she needed guidance, he could at least tell her what he knew, or what he learned from his time in the Game Master's territory even.
~!**!~
The gurgling of before had become a steady thrum, the area just below the lur'mog's chin expanded and retracting slightly if one looked at it.
His tiny paws intermittently wrung at his scaly tail, but when Hiei tapped at his head, his eyes came open and he looked solemnly up at the fire demon, a darker red blush across his nose-slits from the alcohol, as if he thought Hiei were trying to get his attention. The spines on his back slowly started to come back up as his mouth came open a little, forming a small 'o' shape as if waiting for Hiei to make some sort of earth-shattering statement that would change everything he knew about anything. 3
Hiei sneered at the small creature that looked up at him, waiting it seemed. He merely tapped at the small head again, his lip twitching in amusement at the lur'mog's expression that was so… confused? He tapped the small cranium twice more before moving his finger to the mouth of the lur'mog, lightly tapping there as well as he began toying with the creature in his own way that wouldn't include harm.
~!**!~
Akari nodded and sat in the chair in front of the game, swivelling so she faced the screen and slid a coin into the coin slot, nearly jumping when the music began blaring louder than any others nearby. She eyed the screen, listening to the monologue of "Welcome to Goblin City, where you and your team of seven…" It went on, the music almost louder than the words, and she watched the animated doors open.
Immediately, there was a slot machine spinning different combinations on the screen, and she sighed as it came to a stop, the mechanical voice screaming at her, telling her that the game was a puzzle game, level three tetris.
She knew this game well.
"Cool, one I know." *
"Definitely not one of my favorites." Yusuke shifted around a little to get more comfortable as he watched, "But I'm not much on puzzles, really."
~!**!~
The lur'mog let go of his tail as Hiei tapped his head again, his arms hanging from his front like a mouse, and the tail swung out behind him lazily, the portion nearest to his rump laying flat against Hiei's body, while the last third of it curled up into the air with the end of it bending in the other direction, making the general shape a reverse question mark.
When Hiei touched at his mouth-his face upturned to stare dutifully with wide-eyes at the apparition-his jaws slowly parted and hung open as if in direct reaction to that specific place, revealing four rows of tiny, pointy, red teeth along the top and bottom of his mouth, two rows of one behind the other on the top and two on the bottom in the same fashion with a surprisingly normal looking tongue pressed up against the back of the bottom row. 3
Hiei wasn't surprised by the reaction he received, the lur'mog's mouth opening to reveal teeth that Hiei scrutinized carefully. Shikiyoku had said this creature was more of a runner, but he was certain that this creature could rip apart anything it so desired.
And that thought, he lightly tapped the rows of bottom teeth, noting the sharpness before retracting his finger and again tapping the snout once with a slender finger, now just doing things to the lur'mog out of slight boredom instead of actual curiosity.
For a moment, he released a huff of air that would normally resemble a scoff, but there wasn't enough force behind it to create the necessary sound to convey his amusement at the expression the lur'mog wore as he once more tapped the end of the snout, sure to just miss the nostrils for the second or third time.
~!**!~
Akari positioned her right hand over the joystick and her left over the buttons of the gaming console as the game started up, the numbered tiles moving slowly at first in the descent on the screen. After a few moments of complete and utter concentration, she smiled at the screen, remembering that her family had always had games around for her to play.
The game ended after a timer went out, pinging at her and saying she'd won the round and another was going to be chosen. "Number games are fun for me, sometimes. Strategy is okay, but not a favorite." she said nonchalantly to Yusuke as the slot machine whirred again, showing her a few images that the screen translated into a game she didn't recognize right away.
"Sports Goblin, Rugby, Level one!"
"...Rugby?" *
"Uh," Yusuke had heard the name before, "Oh, I think it's like American Football. Or something." He sat up a little. "I...don't think I've seen it on here before, though."
~!**!~
When Hiei tapped the lur'mog's teeth, the mouth started to slowly close around the digit, but Hiei had removed it before the mouth came all the way closed and it stayed in that half-open state as Hiei tapped its nose.
The throat area underneath the chin throbbed as Hiei tapped his nose, but there was no sound and the nose slits closed before he touched near them.
As he tapped the second time, the lur'mog reached up and ran the side of his arm against his head as if in a semi-cleaning motion, but after the third, the lur'mog gave a sound that strongly resembled a sneeze, one that jerked his body a little and made him wobble around before he plopped back onto his rump, little hands in his lap while he shook his head once as if to clear it. 3
Hiei found himself, despite his normal neutrality to such things, amused and quite taken with the lur'mog, finding himself enjoying the company much more than he thought he normally would have. Usually, he would have found such a creature annoying, but for some reason, he found himself almost fond of this one.
He didn't know why, but he didn't think about it either. It wasn't like he was going to be taking it with him back to Human World, especially since its sharp teeth hinted at a carnivore.
The small sneeze made the corners of his lip twitch again, and this time he took to prodding the stomach lightly with the tip of his finger, eyeing the tail that continued to move about with each prod Hiei made at it.
~!**!~
Akari nodded, though she had no idea what that meant. So, she simply braced herself for anything, knowing that since it was a sports goblin, she would at least have to deal with a ball and a team fighting against another.
But when the screen loaded, she wasn't expecting to see such a large group of players on the field that was unfamiliar to her. But the game began before she could figure out which team was hers- which wasn't so hard after it started and a ball was kicked across the screen, a single player moving around the screen in correspondence with the joystick.
Minutes ticked by and not much had changed, pixellated players running around the screen and the ball being run back and forth until her character scored a point and put her team ahead just before the timer ran out again.
She sighed and sat back in her chair, turning to Yusuke as the spinner went on again. "This is actually fun. The mix keeps it interesting."
"Pop Quiz, Level ten!"
Akari's eyes shifted to the screen again as the voice continued, telling her who her opponent was, though she didn't catch it. She wasn't very happy with this one, since she assumed all facts would be about this world.
All of which she was almost completely clueless about. So, when the game began, her mind began going over everything she had been studying in school, though the first question already had her staring at the screen with slight irritation.
"In the United States of America, there is a series of football games where the two teams who have won the most play against one another for a title over the rest. What is this tournament called?"
How the hell am I supposed to know? *
Sensing Akari's hesitation, Yusuke waved away her concern.
"You'll have a one in four chance. Just wait for the choices to come up."
~!**!~
The belly of the lur'mog was of course coated with a much softer version of the scales that the rest of it and at Hiei's prodding the lur'mog started to twitch, his eyes closing and his little body beginning to shake as his mouth pulled back from his teeth in what most would consider a smile underneath the flush across its nose-slits.
His tiny hands batted playfully at Hiei's finger, but he didn't seem to be trying very hard to get the fire apparition to stop as his throat giggled up and down and produced a high, fast chuckling noise.
Perhaps he simply couldn't try very hard as the prodding tickled his stomach and pushed him over onto his back-his tail sliding out from under him and then curling up over his body where it gently wrapped about Hiei's wrist-where his four limbs and torso squirmed even as he still tried to push Hiei's finger away. 3
Hiei's brows raised as the lur'mog fell backwards, his lips parting to show his teeth in a very wide grin at the position he now had the scaled creature in. Even as the tail wrapped about his wrist, he found himself not wanting to stop. Dully, he was reminded of a child being tickled in the human realm, and the thought of this creature being similar to a child- human or otherwise- made an odd and very rare sound escape his lips.
Hiei's chest moved with three chuckles that sounded in the quiet room, at a volume that wasn't very loud, but was actually able to be heard. His eyes shined even more as the lur'mog's own version of laughter sounded, making him chuckle once more with a stream of four chuckles this time as his finger scratched a little more at the smooth belly.
He couldn't help it. He didn't understand why this amused him so, but he just couldn't bring himself to stop, not even when his finger was being lightly pushed at. Instead of retreating like the lur'mog seemed to want him to do, he merely scratched a little faster.
~!**!~
Four answer choices came onto the screen, as Yusuke had promised, and she frowned at each and every one of them. None of them were familiar, so she sighed and chose B.
"Incorrect!"
A huff escaped her as the game continued. "The Philippines lie in which ocean?"
Four more answer choices popped up, and this time, Akari decided as the smallest memory from a few weeks ago popped to the forefront of her mind.
That had been the only question she got right. The next thing she knew, there was a cackling coming from the speakers on the screen and it appeared as if she'd been kicked out of "Goblin City", the words "YOU LOSE" across the screen.
She blinked, realizing that in order to know the ending, she would have to win. And that, she was certain, would never happen. "Well, now I know what I need to work on.." she grumbled, turning to Yusuke and looking at him in consideration.
She wanted to know how the game ended so badly…
But she didn't ask right away. "What do you want to play?" *
At her asking, Yusuke's eyes lit up and he stood, smiling but not saying anything, and started to walk off for one corner of the arcade.3
Thanks for reading! Bless your face. If you sneezed during this chapter, bless you. Peace off! -Star