DISCLAIMER:
All Yu Yu Hakusho characters belong to Yoshihiro Togashi. Eve Hunter belongs to Gina Leone, and Kumiko Yenma belongs to Nicole Summers.

Chapter Nine:

"Do you know what it's like to feel ugly all the time?"

It was aday later, and Fuko was now confined to her room indefinitely. The members of Team Urameshi met in the den.

"Damn…I thought for sure we could trust her." Yusuke sighed, exceedingly disappointed.

"Hn. I'm not surprised. I didn't trust her from the start." Hiei stated smugly.

"Yeah right shorty. You seemed to go pretty easy on her when you two were training." Kuwabara sneered. Hiei's eyes seemed to flash red as he glared angrily. Kurama was silent. Music suddenly erupted from the Phoenix Room; "Waltz Moore" by From First To Last.

"I can't eat anything
Without shoving my hands down my throat,
And I refuse to meet the world without smearing on makeup
With my hair blinding my eyes…
Oh, blinding my eyes...!"

"And her frequent music is starting to bother me." Hiei twitched.

"It's a free country; she can listen to music." Yusuke sighed.

"Not at such an insanely high level." Hiei retorted.

"Jeeze, lighten up on her a bit." Kuwabara remarked.

"Hardly. She broke your feeble trust and now you want me to take it easy on her?" Hiei scowled.

"So you feel bad that she broke our trust!" Kuwabara pointed out enthusiastically.

" I do not."

"Do too…"

This argument went on for a bit, but Kurama closed his eyes and focused instead on the song.

"I stretch myself across the world…
Pushing my limits
For your entertainment, and
You had the nerve
To call out my weaknesses and
drag me through the dirt,"

He paused, mulling over the lyrics.

"I can't remember the last time I've seen my own eyes…
Or the color of my skin
Do you know what it's like to feel ugly all the time?"

He walked over to the Phoenix Room, standing outside the door, listening to Fuko sing along.

"Ooh…
I'm staring in the mirror
Looking back at the person I hate!"

There was a strange emotional quality to her voice. Kurama noticed it whenever she sang. He rapped his knuckles on the door.

"Meh. Enter when the song's over." Fuko growled in response. Kurama opened the door, ignoring the statement. Fuko, who was sitting on her bed, eyes closed, opened one and groaned.

"You again. Do you have problems following directions or something??" She inquired irritably.

"You feel guilty." Kurama stated, inviting himself in and sitting in one of the room's plush chairs.

"…How do you figure that?' Fuko inquired, standing and busying herself by walking over to the computer in the corner of the room and turning it on.

"I've discovered something about you." He replied. Fuko kept her main focus on the computer monitor in front of her. It asked her to enter a password. She chewed her lip in thought and sent her fingers flying across the keyboard typing in the phrase "waltzmoore" , using the song as her inspiration. She hit enter and arrived at a desktop.

"And what would that 'something' be?" She asked, opening Internet explorer and proceeding to look for a background, Googling the band "Rise Against".

"Your music always matches your moods…your inner thoughts. You don't listen to happy music when you're sad or concerned or such; you seem to prefer to wallow." Fuko rolled her eyes.

"Ding ding ding. Give the man a prize. Now, for the final question that wins you a new car, what color is the ceiling?" She inquired snidely, selecting a dark red background with speakers and "Rise Against" written in white in the lower left corner. She then proceeded to look up an older AOL instant messenger, since AIM Beta, as everyone knows, sucks. She found one and then double clicked it to download it.

"So you're feeling guilty. Rather horribly guilty and you seem to rather hate yourself at this point." Getting annoyed, Fuko turned around.

"Look, it doesn't matter how I feel, alright? You aren't going to get me to talk by inviting yourself into my room and then freaking psychoanalyzing me! So get lost." Kurama stood up and then walked over to her.

"You know, whatever it is you're doing…whatever has a hold of you…you should try to fight it if you're experiencing so much turmoil over it." He said, almost a tender look to his eyes for a brief moment. Fuko blinked and then scowled.

"Yeah, right, I'll do that." She said curtly, waving a hand to dismiss him. When he left though, she sighed, rather considering it as Waltz Moore came on again since she set it on repeat. She noticed quite pleasantly that the instant messenger had downloaded. She signed onto her screen-name. She saw with much joy that Eve was on. She IMed her;

Fuko Says: Ello dearie.

She waited for the response, fiddling with her rings anxiously. She didn't have to wait long however, for she soon got a response.

Eve Says: OH EM GEE! You're alive!

Fuko Says: Haha Yeah, thus far anyway.

Fuko laughed, rather glad to see Eve's screen-name again.

Eve Says: Did you get caught??
Fuko Says: Unfortunately lol.
Eve Says: You did??? Oh man that sucks.
Fuko Says: Tell me about it. Lucky me, I get to hang out w/my idiot brother and his groupies.

Eve Says: Are they cute?

Fuko Says: EVE!

Eve Says: What? Lol

Fuko Says: --

Eve Says: xD!
Fuko Says: I'm under extreme lockdown.

Eve Says: Aww…Say it ain't so.
Fuko Says: It's so.

Eve Says: 
Fuko Says: Lol don't feel bad chica.

Eve Says: You should have exploded their heads.
Fuko Says: LMAO!!! xD! That would have been great…but they don't know that I can make stuff explode intentionally yet. ;3
Eve Says: So what are you doing over there? And where is there?

Fuko Says: Um well "there" is a castle.

Eve Says: Is Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty there with you?

Eve Says: Is it Howl's Moving Castle?

Fuko Says: Hahaha

Fuko Says: Well I am most certainly the damsel in distress here

Fuko Says: So I guess the others had to pack up and leave ;P

Eve Says: Are there any Prince Charming's included in that package?

Fuko Says: No one worth mentioning.

Eve Says: What are your brother's friends like anyway?

Eve Says: Tell me about them.

Fuko groaned. Oh did she have things to say about THEM…

Fuko Says: Well one's named Kuwabara; he's big and kinda goofy lookin. Then there's Hiei, this short Goth guy (he's roughly your height love), Yusuke (you've seen pictures), and then HIM.

Eve Says: His Infernal Majesty?

Eve Says:P

Fuko Says: Hahahhaa.

Fuko Says: I wish. 3 Ville 3

Eve Says: Well than who?

Fuko Says: Just this jerk who keeps foiling my plans for escape and getting in the way.

Fuko Says: His name's Kurama.

Fuko Says: The guy Karasu was always talking about.

Eve Says: The infamous!

Eve Says:...

Eve Says: So...

Eve Says: What is he actually like?

Fuko closed her eyes as a whole flood of words came to mind. None of which she could actually SAY, what with the explicitness of them all. So she decided to go with the most G-rated.

Fuko Says: He is a jerk.

Fuko Says: To the highest degree.

Fuko Says: And he's too damn smart.

Eve Says: Methinks you like him

Fuko's mouth dropped open.
"Why the hell do people keep accusing me of that?!?!?" She thought indignantly. She let her fingers fly across the keyboard again.

Fuko Says: Wtf?!

Eve Says: --

Fuko Says: Thou art most confused.

Eve Says: Rate him on a scale of 1-10

Fuko Says: Wtf

Fuko Says: I am not going to rate my arch-foe on a scale from 1-10.

Eve Says: Come on I'm not there to rate him for you

Eve Says: did you take a picture if him?

Fuko Says: Oh yes along with everyone else here makin my life miserable.

Eve Says: Cool can you send it to me?

Eve Says::-D

Fuko Says: smacks head

Fuko Says: Anyway he's taller than me with green eyes and long red hair

Fuko Says: He's a fox demon.

Fuko Says: And again, too smart for his own damn good.

Eve Says: For somebody you hate you sure seem to give him a lot of attention.

Fuko blushed.

"Is Eve…possibly…right? ARGH!!! NO WAY." She shook her head violently to shake the very thought from it.

Fuko Says: I give attention to everyone

Fuko Says: Detail is important to notice

Fuko Says: That way you can notice an enemy's weakness.

Fuko Says: That's what Karasu said.

Eve knew about Karasu being Fuko's mentor. She was really the only person aside from Team Toguro who did. Though the information she got was limited. Eve knew that Karasu trained Fuko…but she knew not for what and in what. As far as she knew, Fuko was a Good Samaritan who was training to become an even better one…

Eve Says: Karasu...

Eve Says: That guy gives me the willies

Eve Says: And I don't use the term "willies" lightly

Fuko Says: You shouldn't use the term "willies" period.

Eve Says: Has he seen you since you have gone to live with your brother?

Fuko Says:Yeah

Eve Says: And?

Fuko Says: Twice

Fuko Says:And what?

Eve Says: How does he feel about you living with your brother? doesn't that cut into your training time with him?

Fuko Says:Si a smidgen. But he thinks it's a good opportunity for a mission.

Eve Says: Mission?

Fuko Says:Yeah nothin big.

Eve Says: That's good, you shouldn't take on anything too big. It's just too cool Fuko, think of how much you could help people with your powers! You could go down in history!

Fuko felt violently sick as daggers of guilt burrowed themselves into her heart. This was always how she felt when Eve reminded her inadvertently that she was lying to her. She closed her eyes, focusing on Sonny Moore's voice pouring out the speakers like wine from a decanter. The song had reached the chorus again. She moved her lips in unison with his words;

"I can't remember the last time I've seen my own eyes…
Or the color of my skin
Do you know what it's like to feel ugly all the time?"

Damn straight she knew what it was like to feel ugly all the time… She gulped and responded to Eve's IM, eager to change the subject.

Fuko Says:Yeah

Fuko Says: Totally

Fuko Says: But yeah they're all evil

Fuko Says: ESPECIALLY the redhead.

Fuko Says: They put a freaking electric fence on me!!!!!

Eve Says: No way you serious??

Fuko Says: Dead serious!

Fuko Says: I was picking up RADIO STATIONS!

Eve Says: Any good stations? Got FOB?

Fuko Says: K-1-0-get-me-the-hell-out-of-here.

Eve Says: Lolz

Fuko Says: Lol

Eve Says: G2g soon I have a doctors appointment

Fuko bit her lip in worry. She hoped Eve was okay…

Fuko Says: Doctors appt? Porque?

Eve Says: Nothing big, I have been waking up in the middle of the night with these horrible back pains. But in the morning when I get up, they are gone.

Fuko Says: Omg are you okay???

Fuko Says: You prolly just threw it out.

Eve Says: No, I mean it only happens at that time at night, when I am sleeping

Fuko Says: Weirdness.

Eve Says: Yeah I know, I am hoping the doctor can make some sense out of it

Eve Says: But any way don't worry about it

Eve Says: You have plenty on your plate as is, my weird ailments shouldn't be one of them

Fuko Says: Don't worry bout it

Fuko Says: My main ailments are Karasu and that redhead.

Eve Says: Lolz don't worry I'm sure we'll figure out the prognosis sooner or later

Fuko Says: Eeh

Fuko Says: Just let em at each other? They seem to not like each other. I don't know who I have more issues with

Fuko stopped suddenly and blinked.

"Wait…why the hell would I want KARASU gone?? Oh no no no…. That's not right." She did another violent shake of the head.

Fuko Says: Wait that's dumb

Fuko Says: The redhead

Fuko Says: I actually like Karasu.

Eve Says: You do?

Fuko Says: Of course.

Eve Says: Okay Fuko, if you're happy then I am happy

Fuko Says: Do you not like Karasu?

Fuko sighed. What a stupid question. It was quite obvious that she didn't like him…but…

Eve Says: I don't want to offend you...

Fuko Says: No I'm curious

Eve Says: It's just...

Fuko Says: just..?

Eve Says: When I am around him I suddenly feel very sick

Eve Says: Like extreme acid reflux

Eve Says: I don't know

Fuko Says: Weird

Fuko Says: I mean he's creepy

Fuko Says: But

Fuko Says: ...

Eve Says: What?

Fuko Says: ARGHE. That redhead is getting under my skin; it's bugging the crap outta me.

Fuko Says: The redhead

Fuko Says: Can ya help me deal with him????

Fuko Says: He keeps saying...things.

Eve Says: Sure anything

Eve Says: Like?

Fuko Says: Like about how I'm feeling guilty and junk like that.

Eve Says: Well are you feeling guilty?

Fuko paused…DID she feel guilty? She sat there, staring at the screen of the computer dumbly for about five minutes until another IM disrupted her thoughts.

Eve Says: Hey, you there?

Fuko Says: Oh yeah! Sorry my bad!!!

Eve Says: Am I distracting you?

Fuko Says: Oh no of course not my dear…just got wrapped up in singing.
Eve Says: Oooh…what song?

Fuko Says: Waltz Moore by From First To Last

Eve Says: Cool….ah! Snap. I'm late for my appt with the doctor. Ttyl.

Fuko Says: Ttyl my dear. Please try to remember and email me with how you're feeling, savvy?

Eve Says: Saavy. Ttyl.

Fuko Says: Bye.

Eve Says has signed off.

Fuko gazed at the computer monitor and signed off with a sigh. She walked over to her stereo and flipped it off and then flopped onto her bed. As much as she hated to admit it, she'd need silence to help her think for the next hour or so. She gazed at the ceiling and then closed her eyes, sparing one last moment of sound to whistle the melody to the chorus of Waltz Moore.

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