Warnings: a bit of oddness…
The Wielder of BlackFire:
The Legend Lives Part II-Rose's Renaissance
Chapter Nine: The Flickering Past
Rose woke with a start to a soft knocking on the door. She groaned and opened her eyes, blinking out the light that pried into her eyes. That was strange, just a minute ago the room had been dark, she thought, anger at herself sighing out in a hiss and snuggling deeper into the warm pillow when she realized that she had fallen asleep, her mind telling her it wasn't worth getting upset over and to just go back into the depthless blackness. Even though she hadn't intended to. Not at all. Now the sun began to gently flow into the room, peeking questioning fingers through the window quietly, trying not to disturb the woken girl as its soft light made her eyes burn, even behind closed lids.
A gentle knock on the door across the room made her grunt in distemper.
"Yeah?" she said groggily, a scowl working its way over her face as she looked at her watch. 4:56. The sightmade her head snap up from the warmth of the blankets, scowling fully by this time. What the hell?!
"Rose, breakfast is ready," came Kurama's soft voice through the door.
"Do you have any fricken idea what time it is?!" she shouted, rolling over toward the wall and closing her eyes again, hoping to regain the few shreds of sleep that still hazed her mind.
"It's eight o'clock," he said.
"Wrong, fox, its five in the morning. On a Saturday! Wake me up in four hours, then I'll talk about food," she said. She could almost hear him smile.
"You have your watch set wrong. The time is different here. Four hours, actually," he said. She could hear the laughter in his voice. She groaned and sat up quickly, shaking away the sleepy fuzz in front of her eyes.
"Fine, I'll be down in five minutes," she said huffily. She changed out of the former days clothes that she had worn to bed into fresh ones. Parents, can't even remember to pack pajamas. She put on her favorite pants, loose at the bottom and tight at the top and made of leather that she had apparently worn a lot when she was sick, and a normal, dark green tee that stated 'Supreme Diva' in bright, glittery red letters. Both showed off her lithe body beneath their tight stitches and smelled of the incense she burned in her room called 'Dragon Catcher'.
She flew a brush through her slightly damp locks. Apparently, contrary to belief, captors allowed their prisoners to shower. Once her hair lay flat and straight she pulled it back into a low pony-tail, the tie binding the locks a few inches below the collar of her shirt, and flowed down her back and coming even with the top of her pant's back pockets. She quickly straightened Kurama's bed, of which she had felt uncomfortable laying in, so she had merely laid on top of, and rushed into the bathroom; unfortunately not realizing that Kurama had left the door unlocked. Not that it mattered, right? They were her only ticket home, and it was only two weeks. How bad could it be?
She washed her face with cold water, bringing color to her pasty-from-sleep cheeks and dried her hands after washing them on a fluffy towel. She exited the room and walked placidly down the steps. Hiei and Kurama waited for her at the table as she walked into the kitchen.
They ate in silence, with the exception of an odd, aggravated curse or growl from Hiei as he struggled with the chopsticks. Why couldn't they just eat with their fingers?! Ningens, have to be so proper and difficult!
The meal was over quickly. Rose suppressed a yawn as Kurama cleaned up the dishes. Damn, it was like he was some kind of butler! It pissed her off a bit, mostly because she wasn't used to it. But also because it made it seem as though everything was alright in the world, which is wasn't, or that she was special, which she wasn't.
"So what happens today?" she asked, pushing the thoughts away with distaste.
"Well, we should see what you remember," Kurama said as he put the dishes into the sink. They then moved to sit in the other room. Hiei and Kurama took a seat on the couch opposite her. She had been awake for almost an hour and a half, but her shrug was drugged with sleepiness.
"Its not what I can remember, its the knowledge I gained. I don't remember anything," she said wearily. She might not know much, but the less they knew about her, the better. But, then again, it might help get things figured out faster. And, in her mind, the sooner, the better.
"Well, just tell us the last thing you remember," the kitsune said. Rose was quiet as she thought a moment. The clearest image she remembered was being excited about traveling somewhere.
"I remember that I was going somewhere far away on a trip. I was very excited and remember my friends being jealous that I was able to go there. It must have been a foreign country or something. I was told I went to Japan, so that might be it," she said, her brow furrowed in concentration. "I remember something about going on a plane and seeing my mom and dad arguing as we took off." She held her head, cringing. "And the plane took off and... and... and that's it. There's nothing after that." She shook her head, retreating her hand and looking at them.
'They probably think I'm crazy,' she thought to herself, even though their expressions were entirely blank.
"Maybe we should take a different approach," Kurama said. He glanced at the youkai beside him, who nodded. Kurama stood up and walked past a clearly confused girl, walking over to the TV that sat beside the window opposite the two couches. He placed a half-rewound tape in the set and turned it one, pressing play.
The Tape
All was normal, but for a broadsword, which was vibrating on its stand angrily. If sound had accompanied the filming, it would have buzzed an annoyed tune. Someone walked through the wall to the camera's left, and looked around cautiously. She was short, with long hair that fell nearly to her waist. She wore a dark tee-shirt with writing on its front and dark, bell-bottom jeans. She did not face the camera, but the camera picked up her features easily.
The tape hadn't played more than a few seconds before they saw Rose's eyes widen and a gasp escape her lips. Hope that she remembered was replaced by confusion as they witnessed pain flash across her face as her hands rose to hold her head, her eyes squeezing shut in agony.
"No! No!" she screamed. "Stop it!" Kurama went to her side as Hiei hastily pushed the buttons on the remote, trying desperately to work the contraption. He finally hit the power button and the screen fell blank.
"Rose!" Kurama shouted, his voice deepening to a boom as he took a hold of her shoulders and shook her gently, yet firmly, trying to snap her back into reality. Her eyes did not open as she ignored him. It was clear that his voice could not penetrate the howling of her pain. Then, as if sensing that the screen no longer held the pained image before her, she suddenly stopped her struggle and sagged against the couch. She was unconscious.
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Rose woke up to a pounding headache. She groaned and put a hand to her head. If she yelled loud enough, her mother would come down from reading the morning paper and give her an aspirin. She sighed, taking in the unique scent around her. She thought a moment, then tested the air again. Strange. Her room smelled like musty incense, not fresh flowers. Memories hit her like an on-coming bus, making her open her eyes and bolt up on the soft bed, startling the girl beside it. A damp cloth fell form her forehead to land on her lap. She blinked stupidly at the slightly familiar girl beside her. She felt her head reel. She blinked rapidly until the room stopped swaying.
"What's going on?" she asked, her voice hoarse from sleep.
"You're hurt," the girl beside her said, her bright red eyes wide with worry. Those eyes. So familiar, but she had never seen innocents in the other eyes. Who did they belong to? "You should lay down," the girl said softly.
"Who are you?" Rose asked, her face twisted in confusion.
"I'm Yukina. I came to heal you," she explained. A doctor?
"Something happened. We don't know what it was, but it seemed you remembered something. Something... disturbing," Kurama said. Rose looked up, startled at his voice. She had not realized he was there. He stood against the other wall, his arms crossed as he faced the bed. Hiei sat on the bench next to him, watching her with his keen scarlet eyes. His gaze, she noticed, was different, sparked with some unnamable emotion.
She looked from the fire youkai back toward the mint-haired apparition by her side, then back again. When she turned to study Hiei once more, Kurama had moved in front of him, blocking her view. She blinked and shook her head disbelievingly.
Hiei let out his breath. His pulse was swift, the slightest spark of uncomfortable fear coming to his eyes with the worry that dwelled there. He sighed and looked away. Thorn had somehow found out his secret, and the last thing he wasted was for Rose to know. He silently thanked Kurama for realizing why she was giving the two such strange looks. She had been comparing them, as though she could sense their similar linage.
"I remembered something?" Rose asked at last, looking up at Kurama. He nodded. "What was it?"
"We were hoping you could tell us," the kitsune said. "But first you should get some rest. Both Hiei and I could find nothing wrong with you, and neither could Yukina. You should rest, then we will find out what we can." She nodded, although still confused and dazed. She began to lay back down again when her face suddenly lit up with recognition. She bolted back up in the bed, her head screaming for a moment at the movement.
"No!" she groaned. "Another damn fit." Her eyes shone angrily.
"A fit?" Yukina asked quietly, looking up with wide red eyes. The girl on the bed nodded without looking at her, her eyes hard and glazed as they looked into nothingness.
"When I get a memory back, I have a fit. The doctors say it's because of the shock of getting a memory back, but when I wake up, I can't remember it." They looked at her questioningly. She sighed. She really didn't want to explain it, but it looked like she would have to.
"It's like this. Let's say I see something familiar, something that I saw all the time when I was sick and it held some kind of meaning to me. At least, I think they hold a meaning. But when I remember the meaning, and sometimes even if I don't, I fall unconscious. When I wake up, no matter how many times I re-see the said thing, I never remember what it stood for or why it held any meaning to me." Kurama nodded and seemed to close the subject, again telling her to rest. Yukina stayed at her bedside while the other two left, Hiei being sure not to look at the girl.
"This was Thorn's doing," Hiei said as he and Kurama stepped outside the room. His friend nodded.
"Somehow, even in this sleep, Thorn's memories are escaping. She is protecting Rose by wiping her memory of the thing clean with these 'fits'. A clever plan," Kurama said. He glanced at the demon beside him, who was deep in thought.
"Does she know?" Kurama asked, referring to the youkai's shared blood with Yukina.
"I cannot read her mind, remember? But I don't think so," Hiei replied. The kitsune nodded.
"Thorn was very careful in her mission. Deleting every one of her memories and holding them the way is she. It must be difficult."
"We need to find the password," Hiei said, more to himself than Kurama. "We need to bring her back."
Authoress' Note: Well, another chapter up. Sorry it took so long, you can blame it on lack of reviews, because I was hoping I could get really pumped off that chapter. Well, I hope this one brings me more well, revvies for those who DO review.
Reviews:
Ensatsu-Kokoryu-Ha: wow, no criticcy for me? Well maybe you'll find something in this chappy for me . Lol, yes, we must all pity Hiei for the time being. But don't think he's a weaklink- and I hope I don't make him out to be one, because that's not my goal here. O.o anyway, it changed later, so never fear :P. anyway, read waaaay below about the password, for I have a note to everyone about that. Well, here's day two!! You were right when you said it would be interesting, eh? Thanks for the kick-a review!
Damage145:
wow, no criticcy for me? Well maybe you'll find something in this chappy for me . Lol, yes, we must all pity Hiei for the time being. But don't think he's a weaklink- and I hope I don't make him out to be one, because that's not my goal here. O.o anyway, it changed later, so never fear :P. anyway, read waaaay below about the password, for I have a note to everyone about that. Well, here's day two!! You were right when you said it would be interesting, eh? Thanks for the kick-a review!:P here's yer update boy.
Dyinglight: Here's another chapter for ya! And look below about the password part
Midnightdream51:
-nod- I try to make Rose not into some hot-headed chick who's just out to kick ass with no brains. She's someone who thinks about all of her options, who doesn't exactly let anyone push her into anything until she's thought about it. Yes, I do try to make her seem practical, it just suits her character. Hell, what kind of unpractical person wouldn't have run blindly into releasing BlackFire as soon as the pressure was too great, eh? Kurama's just being… I dunno, Kurama I guess. u. I really don't have much to say about him. Hiei's having a hell ova time with this thing though. Lol, thank you for the KICK BUTT review!
The Password:
This is just a note for all of you who think you know the password right now. I would just like to say that I will not make ANY comments in yer review replies about it. Not only would, if you are correct, it spoil it for others, but I do not wish to make you think that you are right when you are wrong, or vice versa. I've gotten comments in the past about the password as well, and that's dandy, but please just know that if you think its blatantly obvious that the password is 'Blah Blah BLAH!' please keep it out of reviews. If you would, however, like to send me an e-mail about it with questions, I would be happy to see what I can do as an author without spoiling my story. In truth, I'm going to stop giving any and all hints as to what might occur in my stories out of contexted. I think it really might be spoiling the over-all story. But I do thank you ALL for the great reviews!
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