-1I just realized I haven't put a disclaimer in front of any of my first four chapters, so I'm doing it now; Like a quadruple whammy: I do not own YYH, or the characters within, and shame on you for thinking I do! I'm not gifted like that! Hello!
Oh, and review! I need feedback, people! I'm starving here!
Mae and Ruki splayed out a sheet they'd brought and fluffed the grass beneath it to make a comfy bed for the afternoon.
"Well, goodnight, guys!" Ruki yawned.
"You mean good afternoon," Kurama smirked kindly.
"Right!" Ruki laughed.
Mae nearly frowned. Not out of jealousy, but out of the realization that she was jealous, and the ponderings of what that meant. She shouldn't even consider falling for the fox. He, by rights, should loathe her, not love her. And he had even been so good as to forgive her. Anything more would be too much to ask for.
She sighed and looked down to her wriggling toes rather than up into his emerald eyes.
"Mae? It's time to go to sleep," Ruki poked her shoulder lightly, knowing all too well what her sister was thinking, and putting an end to it like any hopeless romantic chaperone would.
"I'm coming," Mae nodded distantly. In somewhat of a thoughtful trance, she sand to her knees and stretched out on her stomach on the sheet, pillowing her head with her folded arms.
She felt the sheet tug softly as someone lay down beside her. She caught his scent, and was taken back seventeen years, the last time she'd been in this position. She didn't realize the tears that slid down her face until a warm hand rested gently on her shoulder and drew her closer.
"We've both made mistakes," his breath ghosted across her neck, giving her goosebumps.
She remained silent, unable to think of anything to say, and not feeling pressed to. They fell asleep that way; snuggled close, his arm draped over her waist, her head tilting back to press into his chest.
Mae was jostled awake by something shifting beside her. She squinted her eyes open, and found Kurama rising into a protective crouch over her. "What is it?" she croaked sleepily struggling to focus.
"Stay still, Mae," he warned in an eerily hushed voice. No one else stirred, all of them still slumbering. Not even the flap of bird's wings cut through the silence, or rustling leaves in the forest. Deadly calm.
Something at the shoreline splashed, shattering the unbreakable stillness.
They both looked up sharply, fully alert now, and saw a woman walking shakily out of the water, her lips blue, her hair tangled and dripping, clinging to her glistening, corpse-pale cheeks. Her eyes were black pits, and her teeth were stained with ebony.
Mae began to tremble and quake. "Kurama, it's her! The water maiden!" she whispered feverishly.
He clenched his jaw and frowned. "What else do you know about her?" he asked urgently.
"All I know is that she lost her lover to his family, and that she seeks revenge on those who've found happiness," Mae answered quickly, wracking her brains for anything that could be of use.
"She's already dead. How do we kill her again?" Kurama asked in exasperation.
"I'll wake the others," Mae said, scrambling to her feet and shaking as many shoulders (or in one case, trees) as she could until all were alert. Enough, anyways.
"Wha's goin' on?" Ruki asked, stretching her arms out and sighing.
"The water maiden's here. And she's getting closer," Mae said bracingly. At her sister's expression, she continued solemnly, "This is no joke, Ruki, get up!"
Her sister's eyes popped open, and she shrieked bloody murder.
In an instant, Hiei was out of his tree, staring wildly around for the attacker. His eyes widened considerably when he saw her shuffling unsteadily towards them. "The…water maiden?" he asked disbelievingly.
Ruki nodded and gulped like a nervous child.
He moved in front of her, and sent thrills through her stomach. She normally would have minded such possessiveness, but not this afternoon!
He turned his head to stare at her. "Are you going to help, fool, or am I going to have to do all the work?"
That got Yusuke and Kuwabara's attention. They sprung up at once and began staring hungrily about.
Ruki blinked at them, then stood on the other side of Hiei. "What do you think is wrong with them?" she asked him in a low voice.
"Everything," he replied with a wicked smirk.
She chuckled in accord.
The grass rasped under the water maiden's slow descent, and Ruki's smile faded.
"Relax. We have more than enough strength to take her," Hiei ordered.
Ruki sighed and shook her head, puzzling the fire demon even more. There were no answers with this one…
"Youuuu willlll sufferrrrr…." the maiden sang, raising a shaking finger to the group.
Mae's heart pounded, and her mother's voice kept coming back to her, 'and they were never seen again…', 'lost forever in a sea of agony…'. It was not a welcome nostalgia.
Kurama picked up on Mae's worry, and summoned his Rose Whip.
Hiei unsheathed his katana and got into fighting stance, acting on cue.
Yusuke pointed his finger and aimed.
Kuwabara drew his Spirit Sword in a spear shape.
Mae hunched her shoulders and took in a deep breath.
Ruki spread her hands and looked to the sky, her eyes gleaming and pearlescent. Chanting softly under her breath, her body began to sway to the strange rhythm, and beams of light emitted from her irises. Her pale skin began to glow golden, and her short hair whipped around her face as she evenly levitated a good three feet in the air.
The water maiden shielded her eyes with a shrill, reproachful wail.
Ruki opened her mouth into a perfect 'o' and began to fill the clearing with the saddest, most morose music they'd ever heard.
They all sank to their knees with the weight of her mournful notes, and the water maiden slowly walked backwards into the water, shedding black tears that streaked her face like ink.
When she was totally immersed in the water, Ruki slowly lowered back down to the grass, and closed her mouth, blinking twice to clear her vision.
Everyone regained their feet, mystified.
"How'd ya do that?!" Kuwabara asked incredulously.
"I can feel people's emotions. I just channel them through my voice strongly enough to repel them," Ruki explained gladly.
"So you basically scare people off with their own darkness?" Hiei asked, impressed, but doing his best to mask it with disdain.
"Basically, yes," she agreed with a nod and a smile that made him feel like a jerk.
He looked away to hide the rosy stain on his cheeks.
"We should go," Mae said, her voice shaking nearly as much as the rest of her.
"You're in your nightgown, and you're not wearing any shoes," Kurama reminded her.
She looked down, surprised, and nodded. "Ruki, come with me," she ordered, scooping up a clean pair of clothes and leading her sister behind the large oak tree.
They changed quickly, both distracted, until finally, Mae pinned her sister down with the one question Ruki didn't know the answer to: "What's going on between you and Hiei?"
Ruki's cheeks flooded with color. "Nothing!" she hissed.
Mae raised one eyebrow and gave her the 'oh, yeah right' look.
"Oh, alright! I think he's hot stuff, okay?" Ruki surrendered, shifting uncomfortably under her sister's dissecting gaze.
Mae smiled victoriously. "I knew it!"
"Hush! They'll hear you!" Ruki snapped pleadingly.
"Oh, like they'll be listening to us getting dressed, Ruki," Mae rolled her eyes.
"I know you don't want me to ask about you and Kurama this morning," Ruki threatened.
"No. I don't," Mae returned the challenge.
After a moment's glaring contest, they both desisted with a mutual sigh. "Truce," they both announced.
They emerged from behind the oak tree and hurried to help the lads pack up the campsite. The sheet was folded, the fire distinguished, the crumbs swept away in the wind.
They set off again with newfound wariness, not only about what was yet to come, but about some of the new developments emerging in their own group. Things were getting interesting…