A minute crept into an hour and an hour crept into eons staring at the chandelier reflecting dull prisms into a crown moulded ceiling. It was tantamount to watching paint dry as one prism collided with another and dings of crystal shards swayed above. Intensely, I watched them hover from their silver caps shimmering as if they were the most fascinating documentary while I laid back ramrod straight on the ground.
I focused to get my mind off of her.
Botan's hushed whispers filled the pauses accompanied by a crackle as the portal shifted crimson static and counted down the time. She animatedly petitioned at Kurama to no avail. At the moment, he wasn't interested in her chatter. He briefly acknowledged her with a 'hmm' of his lips, but no more as she rattled off a compendium of information. Though she whispered, I heard it all.
"I don't very much like the idea of biding our time. You and the boys have already done all that trial jazz." From my peripheral, she flapped her hand dismissively. "Since it's her turn, we should try to find a way out!" She reasoned with him.
Ba-dump.
To trials, Kurama neither agreed or denied and instead sneaked glances down his straight nose gauging my reactions to Botan's idle fussing. Or perhaps monitoring me for any signs of change.
"Maybe Yusuke will be able to find us here? She said we'd be back by midnight." Botan spoke.
Her agitated whisper carried over the air and I squinted at the sound of her voice. That was what I promised, but I had made a misstep. Instead of rushing headlong into the supernatural, I should have kept them away as far as possible. There was probably another way to get to Lucas besides interrogating the poor sod at his job. And I had broadcasted a wealth of info with each interaction at the tavern, including Lucas' personal business.
Ba-dump.
For all the blunders I had made the day before blurting out information, I neglected to tell them the few tidbits of information that would matter most. Places like The Hollow and even the Hara Complex were hidden, and people without the bind couldn't waltz in off the street. Regrettably, I probably should have told Botan about my mistake at the mention of Yusuke's name.
Wait.
Hadn't she slipped up? She doubled back.
She was supposed to be tattling to Koenma all the sordid details she learned at The Hollow. So, why double back and get caught? In that moment, I grew bothered as I slipped into a petty mood. I tapped my fingers against the wood beneath me in agitation. I had taken her to one of the few places that anchored me down, since…zombiehood. And she'd underhandedly gone back to report the location after assuring me she was en route to Koenma.
Ba-dump.
But she couldn't have possibly known her faux-pas, could she? Not when I was so unwilling to divulge information and she didn't know a lick about supernaturals or how questionable she would appear skulking around the entrance of the tavern alone. I couldn't fault her for just being ignorant and if I wanted any varying result, I would have to correct that. At least, with the basics figured out, we could avoid more hearings. My doubts withered away.
"Not quite sure what Koenma was thinking. One moment investigator, and the next…lawbreaker." She muttered concealing her mouth in her hand as she leaned towards Kurama.
My fingers abruptly stopped tapping. My pettiness imploded like a beer bottle left in the freezer. However, I heard-
Ba-dump.
It cut through her whispers like a mantra, interrupting her sentences and tearing my attention from her voice. With my strained eyes, I followed the trail of the white rope mouldings that bordered the ceiling and divided it into neat squares. The chandeliers lined the center and swayed with prismatic light that colored the ceiling into waves and resembled light hitting water. Stop thinking about it.
Ba-dump.
A sliver of gold breached simple linen curtains and inched across the grains of hardwood. A warm touch that reminded me to just remain motionless on the floor. Just stay. It embraced my knee as the sun's rays crept, crept, crept over my knee and past my thigh. It was noon now. I held onto that embrace and concentrated on the warmness breaching through my black slacks. C'mon now.
Ba-dump.
A shift in posture, and I fought the urge to tilt my head towards the source. Kurama had adjusted his weight to his other leg and re-crossed them. Warm bodies. I sucked in an unsteady breath and exhaled and in seconds found a tempo to combat the cadence of beats. Just breathe.
Ba-dump.
"Fuck." The expletive erupted from my mouth before I could catch myself. This wasn't working no matter how hard I concentrated on anything that wasn't my guests in the room. I pelted my weight off the floor and fervently blinked at them and they returned looks of earnest, in turn. Upright, I mopped my face with a hand and Botan jolted at the sudden movement. Her shock melted into abject horror. Did she realize I'd been listening?
Kurama watched, still and patient.
"Botan," I felt the niggling of a petty remark rise to my throat like bile. I wanted to set her straight. I wanted to say, 'You're just as culpable for breaking laws in this circle.' I really did.
Simmer down, Nakajima. I buried that derisory comment in my mind along with my wounded pride and hunger. I wasn't going to make any friends assuming the role of accuser.
"Can we chat?" I turned on my ass cross-legged, so I was facing her. My legs rested on a carpet that stretched to the spaces in the circle of chairs and I placed my hands at my ankle and fidgeted with the hem of my pants.
Ba-dump.
"U-uh. Yes, what about?" She whirled in my direction her ponytail lashing behind her. She bit her lip anxiously drawing blood to her pink lips. Her previously neat bangs lay in disarray on her porcelain forehead. Had she been tugging on them?
"Do I…make you nervous?" I pointed to my own forehead and self-consciously her hand tentatively went to her bangs. Not that I could fault her, I didn't see what happened from the moment she left and when she appeared through the portal. I wondered how Yesenia treated her.
"Oh!" She ruffled them and they perfectly slid into place once more. "Well, can you blame me…with the company you keep-"
Ba-dump.
Speaking of The Company.
"Those aren't my people." I pointed to the empty space flanking the high back chair where the portal had been. I kept my eyes on magenta orbs, hoping distractions would make the beating subside. "Inquisitor Tallen and Yesenia, they…"
"Then, who-?" Kurama agitated spoke. Whether is was at the mention of the Inquisitor or maintaining silence for twelve hours, I hadn't the foggiest. I held my hand up and pinned him with a look of unruffled calm.
"Remember when I mentioned factions at The Hollow." At the mention of factions, Botan nodded energetically.
"Tallen is an Inquisitor from a faction known as The Company. My faction despite what Kaito may have lead you to believe," and I rolled my eyes glib as I recalled his property comments in the tavern, "do not treat humans any differently from supes once they're in."
"So, The Company..." Botan had leaned forward, absorbing every word with hungry fascination. Twelve hours of boredom will do that to anyone.
Ba-dump.
I exhaled, my breath jittery, "Unlike other factions, they detest humans. In fact, they detest anything that isn't supernatural."
I had just been told about demons a little more than a day ago. However, after being told Kurama and Botan weren't human Tallen only needed a glance to determine their nature. He only needed a glance. Then, why was he so sure they were human before it was revealed they weren't?
He must have known already. He had to assume that I would not give up their identities, to keep the information from the factions, but he hadn't planned on me exposing us to save our asses. Hence, the trial. He was trying so adamantly to convict me. Why-
"But why?" I was torn away from my thoughts and glanced at Botan that blinked expectantly at me for a reply. I grinded my teeth waiting for the sweet siren call of the-
Ba-dump.
I gripped the hem of my pants tightly and tugged them past the rim of my black loafers. What were we talking about again? Oh, right.
"Millennia old prejudices and they're assholes. Lemme ask." I had an inkling demons harbored similar prejudices based on Cloakman's initial reaction to me. Or probably because I was rude at the time. Anyways, "How do demons feel about humans?"
"In some regards, demons are similar to the Inquisitor. Many demons despise humans because of their weakness." Kurama had slipped into the loveseat beside Botan as he matter-of-factly spoke. "There are some groups that refuse to interact with humans. And in others, fascinated outliers actively seek to live among them."
"I hate making all-encompassing assumptions, but vibe with me." Leaning towards my legs I hovered above my bent knees engaged in their expressions. It was my turn to gauge reactions. "Apply that logic to the world of supes. This entire one faction wants to snuff out humans."
Ba-dump.
I wrinkled my nose and smacked my chops. My mouth was becoming viscous and the saliva thickly coated the roof of my mouth.
Kurama briefly adapted a visage of derision but it flitted away as quickly as it appeared. Fascinated outlier, perhaps? Or was I acting strangely...smacking my mouth must have been weird.
"That's awful. And unfair." Botan's hands found their way to the end of her ponytail and she idly curled the ends around her fingertips. She messed with her hair when she was anxious and I noted it in my mental filing cabinet for later.
"The reason I need to differentiate between factions is this." I grandly gestured to the walls of the parlor. "Had it been any other Inquisitor, we would have avoided this entire thing." I tilted my head towards the barrier that sizzled and popped with crimson static incessantly.
"Other Inquisitors? How many are there?" Botan comically gulped and she retreated into the plush loveseat.
"Depends on the faction. The Order, Deus Ex, Neo-Fey...their inquisitors have varying stances on humans, but would never bring them to a hearing." From somewhere in the manor, I felt the seething glare of Daisuke Hara curdle my stomach every time I dropped a faction name and did my best not to flinch in response in front of Botan and Kurama. By God, how did he do that.
Ba-dump.
"You were brought in as witnesses, but The Company would find you guilty along with me." I sheepishly ran fingers through the ends of my tresses that had tangled from lying on my back. Oh, wait. I was fiddling with my hair. I hurriedly placed my hands at my ankles and stared at the back of my knuckles in amazement. Now, I'm fidgeting.
"Why would we be guilty?!" Magenta orbs widened impossibly far and I felt second hand strain in my eyes. I blinked rapidly like it would prevent her eyeballs from drying out.
"You went snooping around The Hollow, right when Yesenia was heading out." I noted flatly.
Ba-dump.
Botan flinched at the accusation, so did I for entirely different reasons. Kurama questioningly glanced at me, one poised brow raised.
I groaned. "It's partially my fault. I didn't warn you about the dangers, of other factions, of what that would look like to other supernaturals." I wanted to fidget, but I gripped my ankle instead and met their gazes. Admitting I goofed left a sour taste in my mouth.
"I was a bit…hmm, what's the word?" Botan spoke while her fingers rapidly twirled into the ends of her cerulean strands. She mouthed several words under her breath and scrunched her nose in thought.
"Sketchy. The word you're looking for is sketchy."
"Thorough!" She concluded triumphantly with a finger pointed skyward and a grin plastered on her face.
I shook my head, but and fought off the corners of my lips turning upwards. Her cheeriness was kind of contagious.
Ba-dump.
The biological toll brought me some perspective, "We will not be doing this again, I promise. I'm willing…to be more open about matters supernatural." Daisuke was going to wring my neck for that. "And…I'm sorry for whatever trouble I've caused."
We could not do this again. Cravings were generating a loose lipped zombie, but it was vital I do anything to keep from eating. They were Kuwabara's friends, and I didn't want to devour them after we recently acquainted ourselves. He probably wouldn't appreciate that and it would make a terrible impression. Wow, priorities.
"I'm sorry too. No more sketchy, thorough shenanigans, no sir-ee."
"Apology accepted!" I clapped my hands together just has another beat rang out.
Ba-dump.
"I need to get you up to speed on the basics. Any questions before we start?" I adopted a cheerful persona as well. If I'm going to flap my lips, might as well get into it.
"Tallen mentioned you're a dhampir." Cutting right to the fucking chase, huh Kurama.
That was the furthest thing from basic. I was hoping for a question about the doors of The Hollow or Octavius or why I wear a trench coat, but not about my false identity.
"Right, a dhampir is-" I started.
"A half human, half vampire." Blerg. Well, yeah kind of. I felt my eye twitch, but I blinked it away.
Did he just…interrupt me? With a half-wrong assumption, too. The hell is he asking if he thought he knew the answer….
Ba-dump.
Just inhale. Exhale.
"I see you've read some fictional works. But no, a vampire is actually born from vampire and human, a dhampir is the unlucky result of a vampire and unmarried woman." I patted my chest proudly, like a spoiled red headed step child.
"And you called me a sly bastard?" Kurama adopted a smirk and dark humor danced behind his eyes.
"I deserve that." Abashed, I nodded. Botan snorted and she murmured, "She's not wrong…"
Kurama side-eyed Botan, his smirk disappearing, "Do you?"
"I'm notorious for not getting along with people, can you tell?" Internally, I took stock of people I considered friends. There was Miki, Charles, Andwise, Kuwabara...maybe Kaito. Was that it?
"Yes, the incident at the temple was most enlightening." Viridian eyes glinted from under garnet strands. Way to throw shade, Kurama.
"I deserve that too." I slapped a hand to my forehead and relished at how cold they were compared to my cheeks that were bathed in sunlight streaming from the curtains. Now that we were on the topic of shade. "I'm sorry, Kurama. I antagonized you on the ride to the temple."
"No need." He briefly shook his head and silky strands from his garnet crown careened away from his face.
Ba-dump.
"OKAY." I declared more to the heartbeats than to Kurama. "Back to the dhampir thing, you said 'half human, half vampire. In the supe world, you're either one or the other. There is no half anything. I'm full-on dhampir."
"There are no hybrids." Kurama seemed curiously surprised to know that.
"No cute half kitty, half humans walking about?" Botan transitioned to cat-face and her hands balled beside her face.
"No." Botan pouted at my answer. "Except there are people called halfings, but I assure you they aren't half anything. Just short, hairy people, so don't be confused."
"I won't!" Botan assured and she pressed a digit to her temple as she committed it to memory.
"Those vampires are your family. The elder being your father." Right back to this? I just wanted to drop the entire false origin business.
Ba-dump.
There it was again, ever beating. Incessant. And with an air of resignation, "Yes, he's my dad. Tallen stated that in his own hateful way." Knowing Daisuke was probably listening, I laid it on thick. "Even though, we've recently met, I'd like to think he's got faith in my gift of gab."
I heard a cackle down the hallway. Well, at least Miki heard it.
"You've only met recently. So what happened before you met, how are you acquainted with Kuwabara?" With little information, Kurama clinged and pried, never wavering from his spot on the loveseat.
Fool of a took! My mouth is going to get me in trouble.
"Kuwabara tells the story better than I can. I'll let him do the honors." It was a half-truth and he did tell stories far more animatedly than I did. But, memories from before zombiehood weren't as definite compared to my newly made undead ones that I could spectate like a feature film at my convenience. They swam to mind when I recalled them, but the details were mismatched, off. Attempting to draw out details only demonstrated how far I ventured from the actual truth. Only when I was asleep, could I delve into those memories with lucid clarity.
Ba-dump.
Awake, I embraced the essential pieces of those whens were fuzzy, but I could remember the places. I couldn't remember passing acquaintances, but I could remember Kuwabara with clarity. That was all I needed.
"Ooh, ooh!" Botan hopped in her spot with renewed vigor. "Do vampires sleep in coffins?"
"Um, no."
"Burn in the sun?"
"No?"
"Allergic to garlic?"
"We have French on Wednesdays and I make a mean Coq au Vin. Extra garlic." I grinned cheesily.
"Oh, phooie." Botan hung her head and snapped in disappointment.
"So none of the stereotypes we know from myth can be trusted." Kurama ascertained. So did Koenma on that ridiculous tape.
"Now you're getting it." I facetiously brought my hands together in a pitter-patter of soft clapping.
"While we're on the topic of vampires: The High Inquisitor said your father treats you as,'more than just a retainer of the house.' By dubious origins, he meant because you are dhampir. Why was he disturbed by that?" Kurama rested a cheek on backs of his knuckles leisurely as if he hadn't stepped stepped on a secretive landmine.
Odin's beard! Would he just drop the whole dhampir thing? Fine, I'll just solidify my damn back story and we'll get it over with!
Ba-dump.
"Ah, that." I huffed and with a finger I traced a mock food train triangle on the plush rug. "So in some factions there are social hierarchies. Supes that fit the old as fuck archetype fill the upper echelons of supes. They consider themselves high class." I notched off the top of the triangle and prodded it with my index finger.
"Being a love child, to those individuals, makes me less than garbage. The elephant in the room." I drew a line at the bottom of the triangle with a flurry of my finger.
"He treats you differently." Botan drew the correct conclusion and she radiated warmth as she gazed down at my makeshift triangle. Or maybe she was pulsing warmth. I was starving.
"Yeah, that's right. Unlike me, dhampirs normally serve their household with a status lower than the maid, so the house can keep an eye on them." I'd only ever seen a dhampir once. The Haras branched from the Nakamura family who briefly visited the manor. They named him 'Dai,' an insult to Daisuke for leaving the family and taking his former wife's name; but, my pretend father paid no mind to their antics.
"I couldn't help but notice you're employed by your house. Is that to keep an eye on you?"
Ba-dump.
I sniffled.
Huh. I never thought of that. I also never considered how the Haras would treat me even if I were dhampir. I assumed the Haras were not susceptible to the same prejudices as other families. But what if they were no better? Nah, couldn't be, they were Neutral.
"It could very well be. But I chose this job." I drew a crown on the lower half of my pyramid. Because dammit, I ruled.
"So what's a Justicar?" Botan asked.
"My fancy title to fill all manners of plaques and pens." From my pocket, I tossed a lacquer fountain pen in Botan's direction. She caught it and read the white print aloud.
"Yoko Nakajima, Justicar, Diplomatic Branch. We don't have pens." She thumbed the lettering, impressed.
"But you're a glorified...detective." Kurama eyed the pen skeptically.
"With a badge and everything." I tugged a runic plate from my pocket no bigger than my thumb and it dangled from a leather cord haphazardly. The hammered plate caught the light in all directions. I thumbed the deeply etched runes forming the half-taijitu.
"So, what is your role in the supernatural world?" That pen seemed to distract Kurama off dhampirs entirely. Thank you, Odin.
Ba-dump.
How would I explain this? "I investigate cases so humans remain ignorant about us. Of course, avoiding total contact from humans is an impossible endeavor, so I take care of it." Upon uttering 'take care of it,' Botan looked panicked. I held up my palms defensively, "But we don't harm humans, ever. It's to protect them from other factions." She seemed to calm down. Geez.
"You act as a mediator between supernatural and non-supernatural." Kurama uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, elbows atop his knees. He seemed less guarded at my job description, but the movement nearly elicited a jerk from me. Warm bodies.
"I have to. The Company uses a branch known as 'Liquidators.' I get to humans before they can."
The group of organized thugs brutalized humans that were unfortunate enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Other factions had similar groups, that could wipe memories, but there were none as severe as the Liquidators.
Ba-dump.
My head dropped forward and I ground my chin into my chest. "Distracting myself isn't working." I admitted aloud. "I need to put my mind on something else. You'll forgive me if I cut our conversation short. I need to conserve my energy."
"Does hunger...does it make you weaker?" Garnet locks brushed against his shoulder as he tilted his head towards me.
"It makes me stronger. Stupid strong. I'll be happy to chat about it later." I quickly turned my back to them and futilely began my rhythmic breathing.
"What can keep your mind elsewhere?" Botan 'hmmed' from the loveseat behind me.
Keep my mind elsewhere.
"Botan, you're a fucking genius." I heard her squawk from behind me and I chuckled.
"Do me a flavor," and she giggled from my odd slang. "Don't look at me. Or, speak to me. You'll distract me. I'm going to meditate, but it looks strange when I do."
"I can do that!" He cheeriness truly was contagious. I felt the tiniest glimmer of hope.
I did what I did best when I was distracted. I zoned out.
I felt the cold clasp of rigor mortis lock my body up and I breezed through undead memories in a snap. Turning them over in an instance until I found the exact one I was looking for. Kaito seemed…off earlier. And, I wanted to precisely know the reason why. My only issue with this…
I would have to remain in my memories for the remainder of the trial.
NOTES:
I'm a bit late posting due to typos. And, I'm certain there are plenty of typos and grammar mistakes left, but I wanted to put it out there and remain consistent. I'm self-conscious about my writing and it differs with every chapter. Every time I typed 'ba-dump,' I thought, 'Someone's going to read this and say WE GET IT ALREADY.' I needed to hammer home how annoying Nakajima's hunger was to her character.
So Nakajima, I haven't pegged down her character quite yet. Originally she was supposed to be the foil to Kuwabara's character, but when I picked up writing again it didn't seem quite right. Maybe a dynamic/foil mix will be suitable. At least, you know what Nakajima's job is.