A/N: Plotty things shall be occurring in this chapter, prepare yourselves. It's the 20th chapter guys, I can't believe it! As of starting this chapter I have 94 reviews, 6 more and I will have 100 and for me that is pretty goddamn great. Mostly because they're not 100 "please update" reviews, but actual quality ones that have helped me shape this story to become better. I have big things planned for this (you should see my brainstorm notebook, omg) and I'm so glad you have all stuck with me and I hope you will continue to do so. Once again, thank you for all the reviews and support, it's amazingly appreciated!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho! I just have fun torturing the characters!
Warnings: Profanity (a lot of it), violence, fighting, blood and gore, sexual themes, adult themes, etc.
. . .
I had to run faster, I needed to push myself further. She was getting away, fading like the final string of credits after a movie. I had sweat pouring down my face and my breathing was labored gasps but still I pushed myself further. Each step I took she became smaller and smaller.
Don't leave me! Please, I need you by my side!
Further and further, just keep running. You can do it; you just have to try a little harder. Don't be so pathetic. She's right within your reach, how could you just let her get away like that?! Come on!
"Kasumi Oneesan, I'll come back, I promise."
No! Hitomi, don't leave me like this!
I awoke with a sharp jerk, my eyes snapping open to see nothing but dark ceiling above me. I swallowed down the bile that had come rushing up my throat and just laid still a moment so I could collect myself.
Since the night I'd felt my sister I'd been having reoccurring nightmares about being unable to reach her no matter how hard I tried. It had gotten so bad that I'd even begged Chronos to make them stop. The god had refused, telling me I had no business demanding things from it when I was unwilling to work with it…or her. I'd begun calling it a she just for the sake of my own sanity; it would be kind of creepy to think of it as a man living inside my head. Besides, as far as I could tell Chronos didn't have a gender and cared little for what I chose to call it.
The god had made its presence known more often lately, whether it was because I'd failed to find Hitomi before Hideki, or because it was growing fed up with how long it was taking me, I didn't know. At first she only appeared when I was alone, such as in the shower or when I was getting ready for bed at night. Now, she appeared at all times of the day, no matter where I was or who I was with. If Hiei and I weren't in a bit of a spat I would have asked him to do something about it by now…if he even could.
"He can't."
Speak of the devil and they will appear. How evil to do this to me first thing in the morning. I checked my alarm clock for the time, rolled my eyes when I remembered I'd smashed it over Ren's head weeks ago and hadn't bothered to replace it, and then rolled out of bed. It was still dark out so I just hoped it wasn't two in the morning or something.
I began to dig through my closest for some workout clothes. I pulled out a pair of gi and a sports bra which I changed into quickly as Chronos became more and more irritated with me.
"Stop ignoring me you foolish girl!"
"Maybe if you ever stopped whining, I would," I retaliated as I pulled my pants up over my legs.
Most nights I slept in my underwear, or a pair of shorts and a tank top. Last night was an underwear night because for the first time in what seemed like months Yusuke hadn't stayed over. It was just Keiko and I in the apartment and it was a nice break to say the least.
Chronos growled deeply in the back of my mind, "One such as me does not whine, I am merely sick of your insolence!"
Right and I was the fucking queen of England.
"You must begin your training if you wish to find your sister," Chronos continued as I rolled my eyes and wondered if she could see it.
"I'm trying but I need to find Takahiro first," I must have repeated this a hundred times over in the past week alone.
Chronos scoffed, "We don't have time for that."
I supposed you would know, wouldn't you? I knew Chronos was hiding things from me, a lot of things. I couldn't trust her yet, if ever. I didn't like people (or gods) that kept hidden agendas.
"You know, every time you say that it makes me want to find him more," I said.
Anger filtered its way around my brain. I would never get over feeling her emotions inside me while also being separate from them. It wasn't something I could even begin to explain.
"Now, go away so I can train," I snapped at her and for once the god listened, if only to go brood in a corner.
I didn't have to head into work until nine that morning. After setting a pot of coffee on to self-brew, I checked the time on the clock in the kitchen. It was a little after four, which was okay with me. It would give me plenty of time to do some serious training. I'd been neglecting my Judo training, focusing more on Kendo and Kempo.
It was time to turn the loft into my exercise area, as much as Keiko was going to hate it. I dug my weights, practice swords, and punching bag out of the closet underneath the stairs. Don't ask me how Keiko had managed to organize it to fit everything inside; it must have been like playing Tetris. She would surely be angry I'd ruined all her fine work but oh well. It took a few trips to haul all the heavy items up the stairs. My weight set was the worst because I kept all the spares in a big milk crate that was awkward to carry. Last but not least was the punching bag. Normally I would have thrown it over my shoulder and lugged it up the stairs that way, if it wasn't for the bullet wound I was sporting. So instead, I had to drag it up the stairs like some weakling and even that hurt like a bitch.
Maybe strength training was a bad idea after all. Then again, I didn't have to train only my arms. I had two legs that needed the work, short as they were.
I set the punching bag aside in a corner for now. I wouldn't be able to hang it up without someone's help. I doubted Keiko could lift it, which meant I would have to wait until one of the boys inevitably showed up. Also thanks to my shoulder, I would have to train my legs instead of my upper body. Or resort to tai chi, which is what I'd been doing all week.
It had been a week and a half since the afternoon I'd shot and killed two teenage boys. They had been robbing a store, which is what had led to my injury in the first place. The stitches should be taken out in less than a week. After that my shoulder would be tender but usable. I would just have to be extra careful that I didn't strain it too much.
I went through a slow routine at first, to loosen up my stiff muscles. Then came crunches and shadow kickboxing. After that was a repertoire of well-practiced moves I had learned to do without the use of my hands. I mean, what the hell, why not? I needed to get better at my jumping spin kicks anyway.
I must have been practicing for a long time. At least a couple of hours had gone by, because Keiko had emerged from her room and she smiled at me in greeting. She must have just rolled out of bed, her hair a mess and eyes still heavy with sleep.
"There's coffee downstairs, if you want it," I told her and a look of relief crossed over her face.
She left me to finish up my routine, which almost always ended the same. With half an hour of tai chi and then another half an hour of meditation for cool down. By the time I had finished it was seven and Keiko was getting ready to leave for class.
Before I showered I cooked her a hot breakfast of Okayu (rice porridge) and Tamagoyaki (a rolled omelet). I also wondered if Kazuma would be walking her to class today. I was only attending university part time at three days a week so I could continue to work. My classes were on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The rest of the week I was at the precinct with only one free day to myself. Today happened to be a Tuesday and if Kazuma didn't come to pick Keiko up I would walk her myself. I didn't like her walking alone. Especially after the night I'd met her for the first time. I'd never let her go anywhere alone again if I could help it.
She came strolling into the kitchen just as I was plating everything up, "Ooh, something smells good in here!"
She took a big whiff of the steam coming off the eggs and took the plate that I offered her along with a mug of coffee. We meandered out to the table together and even though it was short lived I was happy to get a few minutes alone with my best friend. We talked about mundane things for once, like how work was going and our current grades. It was nice not to have a conversation about demons and gods.
Halfway through breakfast we were interrupted by a knock on the door – Kazuma. He had a key to the apartment but still insisted on knocking before he used it. His excuse was that he didn't want to catch either one of us naked because a lady could do whatever a lady wanted in her own space. Apparently this Included frolicking around the apartment in a state of undress.
Though, you know he secretly hoped it would happen someday anyway.
"Oi, anyone home?!" he called from the entryway.
"No need to yell, baka. We're right over here," I called in return.
He poked his head out from behind the wall that made up the cubby like entrance to our front door and waved at us sheepishly before retreating to kick off his shoes.
He came wandering into the room, dressed in tan slacks and a nice collared shirt. He made me chuckle, now that he was a college 'man' he felt like he had to dress more professional. It looked good on him though, I had to admit, with his preppy coat pulled over it all.
"Hey, who made breakfast?!" he shouted at the sight of our plates, "And where's mine?"
I laughed and then pointed with a chopstick towards the kitchen door, "There's plenty for you. Go and help yourself."
He grinned like a buffoon and went running to do just that. Half way there he skidded to a halt on his sock clad feet and pulled something out from the inside of his coat.
He trotted back over to the table, "Sorry almost forgot about this. I grabbed your mail on my way up."
He slapped the small stack of envelopes down in front of me and then rushed off to get his food. Keiko shook her head at his antics while I sipped at my coffee and rifled through the letters. I was always wary about our mail now…which is why I hadn't bothered to pick it up yesterday evening after class. I didn't have the energy to worry about it and what I couldn't see wouldn't plague my mind for hours on end.
I tossed a couple letters over to Keiko. Ripped two more addressed to me that ended up being junk mail and then held the last remaining letter up.
Apparently I'd had good reason to be wary of opening my mail.
Kazuma strolled out of the kitchen with everything that had remained of breakfast heaped on a plate and a large bowl of rice in hand. He'd forgone the coffee in favor of more food. I waited for him to get settled and then threw the letter towards him without opening it.
"What does that look like to you?" I asked him when he looked at me in confusion.
He set his chopsticks down; disappointed that he was distracted from his meal. He picked up the thin envelope anyway to better inspect it.
It took mere seconds for him to figure it out, "Are you gunna open it?"
I hadn't decided yet, it didn't look the same as ones I had received before. The color of the envelope was almost older. A staining to it that told me it was high end parchment instead of regular paper. The front was also done up in a professional looking calligraphy, meaning it was expensively made. Whoever had sent it was high up in the martial arts food chain and it made me suspicious. Why now of all times, would I receive something like this? It didn't sit right with me.
"What is it?" Keiko asked from across the table, unable to discern anything from looking at the backside of the envelope.
Kazuma tossed it towards her. Keiko caught it out of the air to bring down and hold in front of her face, "Oh…" was all she said.
"I think I'll bring it to work and have it analyzed," I said. I took it back from Keiko as if it were a snake about to strike.
"Why?" Kazu asked through a mouthful of food, "A bomb won't fit in there."
"Yes, but a poison could," Keiko pointed out.
He swallowed, took a large gulp of my coffee (HEY!) and said, "I guess I didn't think of that, but I'm gunna be waiting in suspense all day."
I rolled my eyes, "Fine, I'll open it but if I die I'm coming back to haunt you."
In all honesty I knew nothing was going to happen when I opened the envelope. I had only been trying to delay the inevitable.
I slid my finger underneath the little golden seal on the back and popped the flap open. It came undone without tearing and I carefully extracted what was inside. I unfolded the single sheet of paper and read aloud so my friends wouldn't have to wonder.
"Dear Master Morimoto Kasumi – san,
On behalf of the Japanese Association of Karate and Judo, we would like to cordially invite you to take part in our upcoming World Tournament.
It will feature the best fighters from many different nations. The winner will take home the World Cup as well as a whopping one million yen top prize.
The tournament participants have yet to be announced. We will be anxiously awaiting your reply. The World Tournament will be held on January 2nd, the day after the New Year. We ask that you send along your reply in a timely fashion so as not to lose your spot.
Everyone at the Japanese Association of Karate and Judo would like to thank you for your consideration. We welcome your inevitable return to the world of martial arts.
Sincerely,"
And then there was an official stamp and several signatures I didn't bother reading. Out of all the tournaments I'd participated in, this invitation was the most suspicious. While I had received ones in the past, they were few and far between. Normally official associations liked you to sign up on your own or with the help of a sponsor. This entire letter seemed fishy to me. Especially because they somehow knew I was the master of a dojo (destroyed as it was). Also the fact they had stated in the last sentence, 'we welcome your inevitable return.' I wasn't kicked from competing because of that one fight. I'd distanced myself from it and no association would ever give a damn about that. There would always be other fighters to take my place.
Oh and there was also one more dead giveaway. I wasn't a member of any association, so how had they gotten my address in the first place? This was the biggest setup I'd ever seen.
Both Keiko and Kazuma seemed to agree with me once I explained my trepidations to them. I settled on not attending. But I still brought the letter to work with me, just so Ren could look it over. Maybe he would notice something I had not.
I walked to the precinct that morning and stared up at the grey skies as I went in the hopes it would snow soon. November was nearly over, only a few more days until December arrived. Along with December came my favorite holiday of all time, Christmas. Unlike some people, I loved Christmas. Not because of the presents, but because of the family memories that I had. Even after my grandparent's died and Hitomi and I had to celebrate alone we'd made the best of it…or she had at least. Every year since then I'd resolved to take part in the holiday to the fullest.
The memories of years long passed brought a wistful smile to my face. I entered the front door of the precinct and walked down two flights of stairs to reach the busy office area for my bureau. I was a few minutes early but as I had expected Ren was already at his desk typing furiously away at his keyboard.
I hung up my coat quickly, pulling the invitation out as I did, and then trotted over to him. Without saying a word I dropped the envelope on top of his long, nimble fingers. This caused them to pause in their furious clacking.
He picked the paper up and looked at me stupidly, "What the fuck's this?"
"Look it over and you tell me," I replied.
And so he did. Except I hadn't expected him to chuckle and then hand it back to me, "Damn, didn't think it would arrive so soon."
"Huh?" I was thoroughly lost.
"I signed you up," he said, shooting me a lopsided grin.
"You what?!" I did my best to contain my rage. I was so fucking angry with him that I could cause a major scene right now. So I held it back with all my might.
"I signed you up for a reason, not just because I thought you could win," he better have a damn good reason, the bastard!
I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him from his seat. He came willingly, so I dragged him into the kitchenette and slammed the door behind us. I was surprised no one was inside. I'm glad there wasn't because I laid into him as soon as I heard the latch on the door click.
"You better pray to every god above that you have a damn good reason for this," I snarled, stabbing a finger into his chest for emphasis.
"I think your uncle Takahiro is going to be there," out of all the reasons I'd figured he was about to give me, I hadn't thought of that one.
My jaw dropped. I was kind enough to remove my finger from between his rib cage, but it didn't stop my eyes from narrowing.
"You think or you know?" I asked.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes!"
"If there's the chance, don't you want to find out?"
I frowned, because he was right. If there was even a small chance my uncle might be there, I needed to attend. It had taken me almost a month to find even the tiniest traces of him. All were unreliable eyewitness accounts.
"How did you come across this?" I asked, still suspicious.
"I overheard someone talking about the tournament the other day, so I looked into it," he started, "And I found out that it's new…"
"Your point?" God, just get on with it!
"Someone with a lot of money paid to start up that tournament. From eyewitness accounts the description matches your uncle Takahiro to a T."
"You're serious?"
He grinned, "Hell yeah, but no one knows how to find the guy or get a hold of him."
"And that's why you signed me up," I said, realization washing over me.
"Exactly, I thought you could do a little undercover," he winked at me and that was all it took.
I launched myself into his arms and squeezed him in a hug. At first he didn't know how to react. After a time he wrapped his arms around me and pinned me to his chest.
"Thank you," I whispered into his shirt.
He reached up and ruffled my hair, "No problem."
. . .
The next day I sat impatiently in my final class. I'd come to a decision the day before on something I'd been debating on for a while now – whether to train Yusuke or not. At first I thought it would be a horrible idea. Only because Chronos had been the one to suggest it, but now I was seeing it from a different angle.
With the arrival of the tournament invitation I'd decided to allow Botan to heal the rest of the bullet wound so I could remove the stitches today. In the process I would also give Yusuke his answer. On nights after class I would train with him. In return he would teach me how to better control my Reiki (or at least, that's what I was going to pitch to him) and I would show him my grandfather's mix of Kempo and Karate. On nights that I wasn't in class, I would use the precinct's private gym to train with Ren. He'd made me promise that I would take this seriously and I planned to. I would do everything it took. I hated losing after all and it had been so long since I'd participated in a tournament I would need to seriously amp up my game. Thus why I was having Botan heal me, I had no time to waste.
"Glad you are finally taking this seriously…" I heard Chronos mumble.
"Shut the fuck up," I snapped at her and then directed my attention back to my professor for the last remaining ten minutes of class.
The god sputtered at me indignantly the entire time but I was fast learning how to tune the irritation out. I'd discovered some time ago that Chronos wasn't as all powerful as she made herself seem. Though she was still scary as all hell, no doubt about that.
As soon as we were dismissed I was off like a shot. I barely remembered to grab my assignments before I left. At this time in the evening Yusuke should be at his ramen shack. I would have gone straight over except I needed to swing by the other side of campus to meet Keiko and Kazuma. With Keiko being a teaching major and Kazuma attending college for a science degree their classrooms were across the campus from mine.
I raced over there. I saw my redheaded friend long before I spotted Keiko walking beside him. They were headed in the wrong direction, damn it!
"Oi," I called to them, still running so when I finally came up on them I had to skid to a sudden stop.
"Hey Kas, what's up?"
"I've got to go see Yusuke," I said in a rush.
I hadn't told either of my friend's about my choice to accept the invitation yet. I was too afraid of the argument that would surely ensue. However, they would want an explanation for my sudden desire to see my best friend's boyfriend and I wasn't a liar.
"Why, is something wrong?" asked Keiko while she grabbed at my hands to keep me from moving around all anxious like.
"I can explain when we get there," ah, perfect, just hold off even longer Kasumi you idiot, "Let's just go, please?"
"Alright, alright," and at Kazuma's words I went running off again. The two of them shouted after me but I didn't slow down, they would catch up sooner or later.
I reached Yusuke's shop a good five minutes before my two friends did. Both of them were out of breath and sweaty by the time they were able to come to a stop. Not that it mattered. I'd had to wait those five minutes while Yusuke cooked up food for a busy dinner rush. Every seat at the little bar had been taken and there were others milling about waiting to retrieve filled take-out bags.
I let Keiko and Kazuma catch their breath and then growing impatient I jogged out back to sneak through the back door.
"Yusuke," I called through the screened opening, "Oi, Yusuke!"
"What?!" I heard him yell irritably from within right before the sound of clanging metal and a loud bout of swearing.
Oops, I guess I shouldn't have disturbed him when he was so busy. I just didn't have the time to be fooling around.
"Get out here!" I yelled.
"God damn it, you fucking bossy women!" he yelled right back, "Give me a minute."
I would count to exactly sixty seconds and if he wasn't out there by then, I was going in.
When I hit the number fifty Yusuke finally came storming through the back door. He slammed the thin screened piece of wood against the side of the shack in the process. The 'detective' was dressed in a stained apron and had a red and white bandanna wrapped around his head. I assumed to catch any sweat that might drip off from working behind the counter. His face told me he was anything but pleased.
"What do you want?" he snapped, "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Yeah, yeah," I waved him and his customers off, this was more important, "I need you to call Botan."
He looked at me like he thought I was the biggest moron on the planet. Which was rich coming from him so I said, "Just do it, please!"
He rolled his eyes and shook his head but pulled out his little communicator to the Reikai anyway and pushed a couple of buttons. It rang like a cell phone for a few seconds before a tiny image of Botan appeared on the screen. This was when he tossed the device towards me.
"I've got customers waiting, just give it back later," and then he stomped back inside, slamming the door again.
I caught the little plastic piece of technology out of the air. Then I smiled down at the blue haired Shinigami in apology, "Sorry about that Botan."
"Oh, no problem, what can I do for you Kasumi-san?"
And so I explained to her what I needed and she told me she would meet me at my apartment within an hour. By then some of these customers will have dwindled down so I could have a proper conversation with Yusuke.
We said our goodbyes and I hung up the compact. I walked around the building to return to Keiko and Kazuma and discovered they had managed to snag a few seats at the bar. A lot of the customers had left and it looked as if Yusuke was preparing to close up shop for the night. Thank the heavens; all I would have to do is usher him home.
I took the remaining seat. The one Kazuma had been valiantly defending for me from any vultures. I tossed Yusuke the communicator over the sneeze guard that ran along the backside of the bar, "Thanks."
"Whatever. Just don't interrupt me next time," he groused.
I stuck my tongue out at him. Then told him to hurry up because I had something I needed to talk to him about. This got him excited to the point he made the last few customers choke down their meals so they would leave faster by yelling at them – what a great way to do business. Business 101: Don't do anything Urameshi Yusuke does if you actually want to make money.
"What's goin' on Kas, you're starting to scare me," Kazuma chuckled weakly. He flicked his eyes towards Yusuke in question.
"Let's just get home, okay?" he didn't look happy about my answer but he nodded in agreement anyway.
It took what felt like a never ending half an hour for Yusuke to clean and lock his little shack up. We walked home together as a group. Yusuke and Kazuma provided entertainment the entire way there, from mock boxing each other to all out brawling. We got a few curious looks from passerby, to say the least.
Like a herd of elephants we disturbed my neighbors on our way up the stairs to the apartment. It made baba Chiyo stick her head out her door and scream at us. I gave Yusuke a good smack when he turned around and made a face at her for her efforts. I could hear the old woman's grumbles all the way up to the third floor. These boys were going to get me evicted if they weren't careful!
I'd barely stepped through the doorway when I was barraged with questions from Kazuma and Yusuke about my strange behavior. I ignored them in favor of going to let Botan in who I could see standing outside on the fire escape shivering like a leaf caught in the wind.
She was only wearing her usual pink kimono. Not exactly the smartest attire for this time of year. I threw the window open as wide as it would go so she could step through, "Hope you weren't waiting long."
"Oh no, I only just got here," she said through her chattering teeth.
"Botan let me make you some tea!" Keiko said in a rush as she scampered off to the kitchen.
For the first time in ages I wished Hiei was there to start a fire as I fiddled around with the fireplace. I directed Botan to take the seat closest to it. I felt bad making her wait in the cold, but it was Yusuke's fault. I shot him a dirty look but he only glared at me in return.
"So why did you come in guns blazing earlier?" he asked, irritable that I hadn't told him yet.
I needed to wait for Keiko so I wouldn't have to repeat myself so I pretended I hadn't heard him. I began to throw logs into the fire place haphazardly. It took ten broken matches before I managed to light one. From there, it took several crumpled up newspapers before I even got the tiniest of flames. I bent at the knee so I could crouch and fan the flames to life. Soon enough it took off and I heard Botan sigh at the kotatsu, happy for the warmth. By that time Keiko had returned with the tea service and was filling several cups to hand out.
While I preferred coffee, I would drink tea if was offered to me. So I took a mug and settled into one of the arm chairs. I leaned forward and rested my elbows against my knees. I held the steaming mug clasped between both hands.
"Okay, so are you done being all mysterious now?" Yusuke pouted and I had a hard time suppressing a smirk at the sight of his pitiful face.
"I received an invitation yesterday -," I started and saw Kazuma sit up a little straighter on the couch, "- To compete in a martial arts tournament."
"Wait, wait, wait! What kind?"
I stared at him incredulously, "The normal kind…?"
"So…no demons then?"
I sighed, "No, sorry if that disappoints you."
"But I thought you had decided it was a hoax?" Keiko asked.
"Come to find out, Ren was the one who signed me up for it."
Kazuma didn't like this little bit of information. He slammed his tea cup down onto the kotatsu much harder than was necessary. His face harsh and angry he said, "So what? I hope you didn't agree to do it!"
I frowned, "I did, actually. I sent in the reply yesterday afternoon."
"Are you crazy?! What were you thinking?!" he shouted. He looked undecided if he should shoot to his feet in outrage or slam his fists down onto the table to emphasize his anger.
"You know I'm looking for an old friend of my grandfather's. Ren has reason to believe he'll be there."
This did nothing to placate him. My orange haired friend only became steadily more outraged, "And you trusted his judgement? This could be a trap, Kasumi!"
"Whoa, how about we all take a chill pill," said Yusuke, as he waved his hands in the air. It was an indicator that everyone should take it down a notch.
"No Urameshi, she's being stupid!"
I closed my eyes for a second and counted to ten, "I am not being stupid, if you'd just listen!"
Kazu practically had steam coming out of his ears. His face flushed with rage, "No, I'm not going to let you go get yourself hurt again!"
The cup in my hands went smashing to the floor as I rocketed straight up to my feet, "And who are you to decide what I do with my life?!"
Kazuma followed suit, also on his feet now. He yelled right back, "Your friend, that's who! You wouldn't know a good decision if it bit you in the ass!"
That one stung a bit, but I barreled right on ahead, "Says the guy who's too afraid to ask the girl he loves out!"
"What does that have to do with anything?!"
"I don't know! I'm just mad!" I shouted back.
The sound of Keiko slamming the teapot down onto the wooden surface of the kotatsu had both of us zipping our mouths closed.
"Enough! Your bickering is ridiculous!"
She turned to Kazuma, "Kazuma, Kasumi is a grown woman and can make her own decisions!"
He sat back down with a huff and folded his arms across his chest. It didn't spare me from the girl's wrath, "And you! These sorts of things should be discussed before you just decide to do them!"
Oh? She wanted to throw that out there, okay. I had some dirt on them I could use too.
"Then would you like to explain why you've all been meeting in secret the past week without me?"
"What does any of this have to do with me?" Yusuke piped up in the middle of all the yelling, but was forgotten rather fast.
Poor Botan was just sitting quietly with a hand to her mouth, her eyes darting around the three of us nervously. At least she was smart enough to keep her trap shut for once. I didn't want to take the fight out on her if she decided to throw in her two cents.
"We already decided to tell you when the time was right…" said Keiko in an attempt to defend herself and her friends.
"And when will that time be, Keiko-chan?" I asked my voice deadly, "When it's already over?"
She flinched because I'd hit the nail on the head and I sat back in my seat, the victor for now. I began to pick up the pieces of the broken cup, the tea still steaming.
"I don't care if you tell me or not, I'm doing this tournament either way."
Kazuma shook his head in disbelief and Keiko took on a look of sadness. I knew they were just worried about me, but for once, let me worry about myself.
"Yusuke," I turned to the black haired man who looked completely lost amongst our argument. "I thought about what you said the other day."
He perked up at this, barely containing his excitement. I wouldn't leave him in suspense, "I'll train you if you teach me how to better control Reiki."
"It's a deal!" he said, not even taking a second to mull it over, "Will I get to fight in the tournament too?"
I snorted, "No, you'd kill someone."
He pouted like a child, displeased with my answer. It didn't surprise me, the kid liked to fight after all.
"I still think this is a bad idea," I heard Kazuma mumble and had to suppress another eye roll. Whatever, he could bitch and moan all he wanted, it wouldn't change anything.
"Training starts next week, don't think I'll be easy on you," I said to Yusuke.
He only shot me a cocky, confident grin. I had no doubts that he had been through hell. My training would be child's play for him when compared to anything Master Genkai had put him through. That didn't mean I still wouldn't give it my best shot.
The argument over, I filled my friends in on any other information I found pertinent while Botan worked on my shoulder. She was elated I had finally allowed someone to heal it. With the tension slowly leaking out of the room, she began to chat animatedly to me (more like at me) about one thing or another. She removed the stitches while doing this, even though I insisted I could do it myself. A few times she got distracted and tugged a little harder than necessary. I bit back a scathing remark or two, just because she was being so nice to me and I'd hate to make her feel bad.
My shoulder tingled unpleasantly as her energy washed over it and I felt the inside of the wound knit itself back together. It scarred, Botan explaining that it was because I'd allowed it to heal on its own for too long. The bullet had left a white, star like shape in my shoulder. I had to admit, it was actually kind of cool…in a morbid sort of way.
"Does it feel better at least?" asked Botan.
I turned my head and smiled at her, "Yes, thank you."
The rest of the night was spent in good company and high spirits. Though, beneath it all I had a fresh set of doubts festering. Even though I knew Kazuma had disliked Ren from the start…I'd never had a reason to doubt his intuition until now. Who did I believe?
The man who has repeatedly professed his love to me? Or the people who have supported me and stuck by me through times of trouble?
I didn't like this feeling….
. . .
"Come on, get up! You're so weak," I called out jokingly.
Ren and I were in the precinct's private gym. It was reserved only for active duty officers' use. I'd pulled out several padded mats so we could have a mock sparring session. While Ren was trained in self-defense, he sure as hell wasn't a master of martial arts. This must have been the tenth time I'd knocked him out of the ring – but who was counting, certainly not me.
He groaned pitifully from the floor, flat on his back and spread eagled. He was covered in sweat, I'd really put him through the ringer today.
"Stop being a baby!" I said and then trotted over so I could lean over him and smirk at his pathetic looking face.
"Aren't you going to help me up?" he asked. He had an arm thrown over his eyes and looked like he'd rather do anything but stand back up.
"Nope," I replied and then crouched so I could poke him in the side and make him squirm.
He batted at my hands irritably but still didn't get up; maybe it was time to call it a day. We had already spent several hours down in the gym. Ren wasn't looking too hot. He was not at all used to the type of workout I liked to do and often did more than once a week. If I wasn't sore, exhausted, and covered in sweat afterwards I hadn't done my job right.
"Alright, we can call it quits you wimp," he sighed in relief at my words but still didn't move off the mat.
"Thank Kami, your training is torturous," he whined.
I laughed to myself, because he had no idea how "torturous" certain kinds of training could be. What I'd been doing with him was tame compared to what Ojichan had put me through.
He removed his arm from over his eyes and pinned me with a worrisome stare, "Can I ask you something?"
Wary, I said, "Sure…" though it came out uncertain.
"You know that the policemen's ball is in a couple of week's right…are you going?"
The policemen's ball was a yearly event where all the precincts and higher ups came together for one giant, fancy party. It was held right before the Christmas holiday and everyone dressed up real swanky. It totally was not my scene. I knew why Ren was asking. So I tried to come up with an excuse on why I couldn't go without him realizing that's what I was doing.
But the only thing I could think of was, "I don't like fancy parties."
He snorted, "Oh come on! You should go; it's your first time!"
I flopped down onto my butt beside him and sighed, "Then I would have to dress up."
"So what, it won't kill you."
"Maybe not, but I don't own a single appropriate piece of clothing."
"That's a dumb excuse – go shopping, like a normal girl."
I punched him in the shoulder for that one and got a glare for my efforts.
"Don't give me that look, you know it was stupid," he knew I wasn't a "normal" girl, if there even was such a thing.
"Yeah…I guess that's why I like you though," he said, gracing me with a sexy little grin that made me blush.
I turned my face away, hoping he wouldn't notice. I never saw when his eyes softened or heard when his breath hitched in his throat just a little. I did feel when he placed a hand over mine on the mat though.
"Be my date for the ball," his words held a hidden plea and I had a hard time refusing him.
Even though I felt guilty I still managed to choke out, "No."
"Why?"
I didn't have a good answer, nothing that would placate him anyway. I didn't know how to handle this Ren. The man who professed his love and held my hand, he acted like I was his girlfriend. It was so different from his normal self. I could argue with him all day, which was easy. Sometimes the arguments aired more on the side of playful and not harmful, but those had been few and far between. Or so I had thought.
Now, I had reason to believe Ren thought otherwise. Had Ren considered our little tiffs some kind of flirting this whole time?
Unable to control my own mouth I blurted out, "You know I really disliked you just a little while ago."
"I realize that, I'm not deaf or blind."
Well if he knew that, why was he so determined to get me to go out with him? Something on my face must have showed what I was thinking.
"I already explained this – I never hated you, Kasumi," he said.
A master at turning a cold shoulder on my problems, I chose that moment to head off to the showers. Ren didn't chase after me. It would have been pathetic if he had and I never gave him a definite answer. Though I would be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it.
As I washed away the day's grime I weighed out the pros and cons of attending. In the end they were about even. I was about to settle on not going except it made me feel like some kind of a coward. It didn't make much sense and perhaps I was only being prideful, but it made me change my mind.
Maybe I would go. Only to make it a little less awkward for me I was going to propose a deal to Ren. One he would either refuse and get me out of going or accept and make it just a bit more bearable for me. It would be a win-win either way…all except for the dreaded shopping. I should have at least one formal outfit other than a kimono anyway, I supposed.
It didn't take me long to finish in the locker room. With my duffel bag thrown over my shoulder I walked back into the gym to meet with Ren. He waited by the entrance, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. As he saw me approaching he reached down to pick up his own bag and then walked out the door without even a second glance.
I went running after him and was just in time to see him slip out the back door. I wasn't going to let him get away that easy. I barreled through it, smashing the heavy metal into the concrete exterior of the precinct, and called his name.
He paused in his mission to get away from me and waited as I caught up to him. He kept his back turned, his muscles tense and hands clenched into fists at his sides. I'd upset him, once again, and it was never my intention to be cruel. Now that I thought about it, I had been particularly cold to him, for no real good reason.
I circled around him so I could see his face and found it devoid of any emotion. He kept himself carefully composed and regarded me with a look so cool it made me shiver.
"I'll go to the ball with you," his face morphed into one of complete shock, "On one condition."
The surprise fell away to reveal a sneer, "There always is with you, isn't there?"
"It's not what you think," I said, "Please just hear me out."
He still looked dubious but he gestured with a hand for me to proceed and so I did, "I want Keiko and Kazuma to come with us."
"Absolutely not!" he shouted while violently shaking his head.
"Why?!"
"Because Kuwabara-san hates me," he stated bluntly.
Well that put a damper on things and I couldn't deny it. Kazuma did dislike Ren quite a bit and if I brought him along it would only cause more tension. That would completely blow my plan to make it less awkward out of the water.
Okay new plan, "Than let me bring Keiko and Yusuke."
Yusuke didn't like Ren any more than Kazu did. But Ren didn't know that and Keiko would be able to keep her black haired, punk of a boyfriend in line. I just hoped he knew how to act at such a function, if he'd even agree to go in the first place. I wanted to believe I was doing this with the best intentions. I was thinking that Keiko and Yusuke could have a nice evening out. It would be swanky after all and they'd serve food only fit for the rich. Ren and I would both receive the opportunity to bring a "plus one" and I might as well make Yusuke mine. No one had to know I would actually be going with Ren.
"You want to bring Yukimura-san's boyfriend, honestly?"
"Yes," I replied, certain that I'd made the right decision.
He laughed condescendingly, "Okay sweetheart, if that's what you want to do, let's do it."
"So you'll pretend Keiko is your date then?"
"As long as you spend the evening with me, I'd take anyone you wished."
"It's settled then," I said.
He nodded curtly and then proceeded by me. We set a leisurely pace home, the sky dark enough that Ren had refused to let me walk alone. We didn't speak much and when we did it was only of trivial things. I listened halfheartedly for a while about Ren's love of music (which I already knew, because he blasted the radio in the squad car every chance he got). What eventually caught my attention was a single word – guitar.
"Sorry, what did you say?"
He looked annoyed at having to repeat himself, "I said that I learned a new song on my guitar."
"You play the guitar?"
"That's what I just said…" he shook his head in disbelief.
Well, that was interesting. I hadn't expected he would know how to play an instrument. Amano Ren was full of surprises these days, wasn't he?
We came up to the front entrance of my building. I bid Ren farewell and he left reluctantly. I'm sure he was hoping for an invite up but I didn't know who was home. It was best he left. I didn't need any more drama than I already had. I unlocked the front gate and the door. I took my time up the stairs, listening for the sounds of my neighbors. Sometimes I would hear the cry of a baby, sometimes it was the sound of a television. I rarely saw them and when I did we all kept to ourselves. I liked not having nosy neighbors. It made my life much easier.
I crested the top of the last staircase, entering into the hall that would lead to my apartment. Standing at the end, his hands embedded in the long vines of the neglected plant, was Kurama. Hiei was with him, leaning against the wall next to the apartment door. Though I was sure they had noticed my presence, both ignored me. Kurama was too busy making the sad plant look more vibrant. He was giving it the air of being well taken care of and it was fascinating to watch. The vines drew back to a more suitable length and the dried leaves came back to life.
I came up behind him, nodding to Hiei in greeting which he did not return, "This floor doesn't have someone with a green thumb."
Kurama laughed softly, "I see that."
Finished tending to the vegetation he turned and graced me with a smile, "You're home later than expected."
"I used the gym after work, I didn't know you guys would show up," I said as I began the process of unlocking the front door.
"And where is Keiko this evening?"
"Class," I replied and pushed the door open.
Keiko had a late class tonight, as well as Kazuma and I assumed Yusuke was busy at the ramen shop. I didn't know why Hiei and Kurama were here when no one else was. It was a little disconcerting. I didn't know Kurama or Hiei that well yet and they both made me nervous.
I went to dump my stuff but a sudden chill in the air stopped me short. I paused, senses flaring. Something was wrong…
I didn't flick on the lights, I just held out an arm to stop the two men from entering the apartment. I pulled out my gun, released the safety and kept it at the ready. Another cold breeze swirled through the air and made me shiver.
There were no windows open on the main floor, it must be upstairs. Neither I nor Keiko would leave a window open while we weren't home, even if it wasn't winter.
"Wait here," I said.
Neither man headed me, they only followed closely behind. At least they let me take the lead. With my gun held in front of me I traversed the stairs as silent as possible. Once I reached the top it was easy to discern what was causing the air to be so cold.
One of the large bay windows had been completely smashed out. Glass littered the loft, sparkling all innocent in the moonlight. Someone had broken into my apartment; there was no doubt about that.
I dashed through the glass. I avoided what I could but still felt as tiny pieces caught in my socks and pricked my skin. My feet left bloody footprints on the wood as I went. Kurama called after me, afraid I would walk into something I couldn't handle. Both men were hot on my heels.
I ran straight for my bedroom. I had only one possession here that was of any value. If it was gone I would know exactly who had broken in. No one else knew about it other than my sister, Keiko, Kazuma and most recently Hiei. It wasn't something I showed off or carried around. I had only used it a handful of times.
Just like several months ago my clothing were tossed around my bedroom. The destruction left to reveal what was hidden in the back of my closest. The only exception being that I was not the one who had caused the chaos this time. I tossed my gun aside, worrying about an assailant was pointless. A thief wouldn't stick around to get caught. It was more important that I confirmed with my own eyes what I already knew.
I stared into the barrenness that was my closest. My eyes searched for a flash of white that was not there. I felt when Hiei came to stand beside me and I closed my eyes in defeat.
"It's gone," I whispered.
My sword was gone. It was stolen from right beneath my nose. My one and only prized possession was now in the hands of some creep. I wanted to hurt something, specifically Hideki.
I knew it had been him. It couldn't have been anyone else. The only thing that didn't fit the bill was why he had waited until I wasn't home. He'd been after my life for months now why had that changed all of a sudden?
None of that mattered. The dream I'd had of Hitomi and the dragon heart was now confirmed. The man in black was none other than my abomination of an ex. My sister had been wrong; I didn't trust the man who had my sword. As for the dragon heart…if it was real, I must have been offering it in some kind of trade.
I didn't know what to believe anymore.
My life was spiraling out of control. The only person who could stop it was Takahiro. I needed to double my efforts. I needed to be stronger.
"Kasumi-san?" Kurama's soft voice filled my ears but I was unwilling to confront the two men.
How horribly embarrassing for a police officer, to have someone break into their own home. I wouldn't even be able to report it, even if I wanted to. Could you imagine that laughing stock I'd become at the precinct? Morimoto Kasumi: the bumbling idiot of a cop that couldn't even protect her own home.
"It's gone," I repeated, unbelieving.
It was the only thing I'd had left of my grandfather. His home destroyed, my family gone – I had nothing now.
During the time I spent staring dejectedly into my closest, lost in thought, I never noticed there was one other item missing.
The picture of my sister and I, the one where we'd attended the Megallica concert, was no longer on my bedside table.
And though I didn't notice this until much later…the fire demon certainly did.
. . .
A/N: And here is the end of chapter 20! We reached the 100 reviews goal and actually went over! I'm so happy I could cry! This story is also up over 5,000 views and I'm ecstatic! I love all the feedback and hearing all your thoughts, so please let me know what you thought of this chapter as well! Thank you for reading!