Keiko and Botan both stood up in one of the rickety city buses, both wearing a light jacket and baggy, comfortable jeans as they chattered about some ideas for the party that was being talked about around some anonymous people. Botan's hair was styled down today, letting the curls fly free, while her brunette friend had her luscious dark curls were straightened and placed into two simple pigtails.
The jacket Botan was sporting was the same pleather jacket she had worn the night before, looking neat and almost brand-new, whilst Keiko wore a plain, throw-over midnight blue sweatshirt. Their loose-fitting flair jeans were held up together by a cheap brand of belts, which were tightly fastened on their slim waists. Although the sun was barely breaking through the puffy white clouds, the temperature was as low as 15° outside in the early morning.
"Well Keiko-chan, I'm glad that you're throwing this little 'masquerade' at your place," said Botan for the umpteenth time. Her tone was cheerful and perky, just like her personality. Keiko, although annoyed with her friend saying the same thing over and over again, could only smile at Botan's naïvety.
"Botan, remember, you were the one that wanted to throw the party," the brunette reminded her giddy girlfriend, who only squealed into her fist. Her eyes were tightly closed as she jumped in place, letting her hair bounce off her spine. Keiko could feel many of the citizens' eyes pierce her back, and, although reluctant, she glanced back.
Her eyes widened horrifyingly as she witnessed everybody on the bus, even noticing that the stout bus driver was staring at the girls, were staring awkwardly at the bluenette, who didn't bat an eye at their weird glances. Keiko snapped her entire body back to Botan, who was still doing her little dance. She gently tugged on Botan's sleeve as the stares continued to pierce the two.
"Botan-chan… People are staring…," Keiko cautioned warily, trying to dissipate the many stares by calming her bubbly friend down considerably. Though Botan did heed her friend's subtle warning and stopped her movements, she did quietly cry happily into her balled up hands.
"This is going to be such a fun party, Keiko-chan!," Botan proclaimed cheerfully as the bus squeaked agonizingly loudly to a complete stop. Keiko chuckled nervously as the two began their way to the opened doors as the weirded-out glances had quickly disappeared, much to Yukimura's relief. As the two exited the old bus, the two young women instantly shivered softly, letting their teeth chatter.
"W-well, l-let's g-ga-go off t-ta-to the T-t-temple!," Botan stammered, still sounding as joyful as usual. Keiko nodded enthusiastically, eager to find warmth before she froze to death. Shoving their gloved hands into their warm jacket pockets, the two friends began to carefully jog into the vast amount of trees.
~*~
After a few slip-ups on the way to their destination, Botan and Yukimura both saw a long, almost endless amount of icy stone steps, which silently told the two that they were really close. Botan nudged at her shuddering friend as a Cheshire grin grew on her slightly discoloured lips.
"Ja-just up the steps a-and wa-we'll be there," she murmured victoriously. Keiko could only nod, knowing that her voice could come out scratchy and dry. Very carefully, they quickened their pace up the steps, doing their best to avoid the ice patches that seemed to taunt them as they made their way up the steps. Reaching the top, Botan faintly saw a petite blue figure standing on the top step. Gratefully, she waved at the figure almost instantly, giggling as the figure morphed into a young girl.
"Y-Yukina-chan! Konnichiwa!," the bluenette cried out joyously before she sniffled softly. The lone figure, Yukina, smiled gratefully and waved enthusiastically. As the two women met up with the ice apparition, they both noticed that she wasn't red, or freezing cold, like themselves. In fact, she didn't seem affected by the snow that had fallen the previous nights before. Botan ignored that fact, well aware that Yukina was an ice youkai, and had the power to manipulate ice, obviously.
"K-konnichiwa, Yukina-chan," Keiko stuttered out happily as she embraced the young girl, who wrapped her frail arms around the brunette just as enthusiastically. Botan smiled at their friendly affection for each other as she felt a cool hand grasp gently onto her own hand. She knew the pale hand belonged to Yukina, and she gently squeezed back as the trio of women started on their way to the temple ahead.
"Shizuru-chan is already inside… She didn't want to be alone last night because Kazuma-san was at Yusuke-san's house for the night," Yukina declared as they entered the temple doors. The women ningen women, eager to feel warmth surround their quivering bodies, watched as an elderly woman opened the grande doors of the ancient temple.
"Genkai-sama!," Botan chirped as she bowed respectfully for the powerful elder, as did the other two girls. The old woman, Genkai, had smirked at their youthful innocence and turned her back to the girls, letting them in. They sped up their pace and dashed for an opened door that was right down the darkened hallway, to which a tall, lean woman with ruffled autumn hair that reached an inch below her waist. A softened smile danced on her lips as she motioned for them to come in as she made her way inside the toasty warm room.
~*~
"So, what's the scoop on this little 'masquerade' that our little cheerful ferry onna has told me so much about?," the tall woman asked smoothly as she began to brush out that knots that had formed during the night. Botan squealed excitedly as Keiko let out a soft chuckle. Yukina blinked in curiosity as she swiveled her head to Yukimura.
"A 'masquerade?' What's that?," she asked in her innocent tone, scooting her rump towards the brunette before hugging her knees, bringing them close to her small chest. Her ruby red irises had a twinkle in them that matched the curiosity that infused in her tone. Keiko shrugged lazily as she started to relax on the dusty wooden floor.
"It's just a fancy way of saying 'costume party,' Yukina-chan. I think, though, that the difference between the two phrases is that the term 'costume party' relates more to Halloween," Keiko informed her friend, "and that 'masquerade' can refer to anytime of the year." The ice apparition blinked once more, and nodded slowly as the meaning of her friend's lecture sunk into her brain.
"I see…" She turned her attention to the lean woman, who was struggling with her mussed hair. "Have you ever been to a 'masquerade,' Shizuru-chan?" Shizuru glanced at her youkai friend and nodded slightly in reply before going back to her hair. "Was it fun?" Shizuru nodded once more as she began to tear out hair strands straight from the scalp. Yukina gasped quietly and got on her knees. "I'll do it, Shizuru-san! You're hurting yourself if you do it so rough." Shizuru gave her a grateful smile as the young youkai took the violet hairbrush from her friend's hands and started to brush out the twists and knots. Keiko took this as an opportunity to get a few words in.
"OK, so we know for sure that we have two guests that are for sure coming to drop by the party," the Yukimura offspring said crisply as she jotted down Shizuru and Yukina's names onto a piece of notebook paper. Shizuru stared nervously at her brunette pal as she raised her hand slightly.
"Umm, Keiko, sweetie?," said Shizuru in a quiet, shaky voice. Keiko brought her head up from the notebook and stared at Shizuru quizzically. "I, uh… invited a few people over already for the party…" Both Keiko and Botan looked giddy as they began to question who, exactly, the elder Kuwabara invited. She gulped down a mewl that was making her throat thick.
"Erm… Well, let's talk about that later; let's get down into the actual planning of the party, you know? Like the time, the food and beverages, and etcetera," she said dryly, easily changing the subject. Much to her relief, the girls were eager to start on the other subjects for the masquerade.
"Mmm, we definitely need to have some of Atsuko's 'special' drinks for the party," Botan said thoughtfully as she pressed her index finger against her bottom lip and stared at Keiko hopefully. Keiko seemed shocked at the gesture, and shook her head disapprovingly. Botan groaned sadly as Keiko began to scold her cheerful friend about the downsides of drinking liqueur. Shizuru rolled her eyes and inconspicuously snatched the notebook and pen that lay next to the Yukimura child.
"Hai, we're having something to drink, Keiko," the brunette stated in an apathetic tone as she began to jot down brand names for liqueur. Keiko gasped and did her best to try and take back what was rightfully hers as Botan cheered Shizuru on. Yukina, not very sure why the others were upset about beverages, let go of Shizuru's hair and tried to squeeze herself in between the tussling.
"Please, you two," begged the youkai, trying to push Keiko off of Shizuru as the tallest member of the group struggled to write down more things for their little party, "let's not fight. I beg of you!" The ice apparition exchanged glances with the girls, who saw the seriousness in her ruby red orbs. The two girls came to a mutual agreement after staring at their gentle pal and Shizuru reluctantly returned the thick notebook to the younger woman, who gratefully took it back.
"We'll have something to drink, Shizuru-chan," said Keiko painfully as she began to jot down even more alcoholic drinks onto the neat lines of the paper. Shizuru nodded, but held up a finger warily.
"Fine, but no fire whiskey. That's way too strong, even for someone like me," Shizuru said in a crisp tone as Keiko began to jot down, 'Atsuko's alcohol.' Yukina hadn't the slightest idea what 'special drinks' her friend's boyfriend's mother had in store for the party, but was relieved that the wrestling for the notebook had stopped.
"Ooh, we'll also have to borrow a stereo and get some tunes for it," enthused the lighter haired brunette as her demonic friend began to braid her long, now tangible hair. Botan agreed cheerfully as she straightened her posture, feeling her light blue hair swish and dance around her back as she began to think of music to bring.
"Hey, in order to add more spookiness to the party, we should bring in metal songs, like Maximum the Hormone albums, some Cloud songs, and maybe even that Polish band, Behemoth!," the bluenette squeaked out as her amethyst eyes twinkled with happiness. Keiko nodded and quickly wrote it down as the two women started to exchange ideas for the party.
~*~
Outside, a relatively small, rogue youkai sat silently in a dying tree, listening intently to every word that came out from the women's mouths. His curiosity grew a little when he had heard the term, 'masquerade.' He let his head rest against the cool bark of the decaying sakura tree as a few questions popped up in his mind, which nipped at him coldly like how the morning air nipped at his cheeks.
"'Masquerade?' What the hell is that?" His glowing crimson eyes stared out to the seemingly empty temple as he emitted a grunt from the hollow of his raw throat. "Hmph. Like it's any business of mine. Still…" A soft green energy seemed to sprinkle the air around his head as the form of an eye appeared. Its ki focused on young Yukina, who seemed cheerful as she fixed Shizuru's hair. "She's going to this 'costume party,' and I must make sure nothing happens to her…" He stood up then as he brought a slightly dirty white bandana up to cover his third eye, tying the ends in a tight knot, as his gaze remained focused on the temple.
"I'll go find that fox. I know he knows what a 'masquerade' is…" With those parting words, he turned his little body away from the ancient building and flitted off, disappearing into the treetops.
~*~
Inside, the quartet was continuing to make plans for the Halloween bash, when all of a sudden, a low, threatening rumble was heard groaning in the upbeat room, causing it to grow deathly quiet. After a couple of seconds, the growling continued. Shizuru and Keiko looked at the other two girls, with the ice apparition rubbing her stomach tenderly with a sheepish look in her crimson drops.
"Gomen… Genkai-sama and I haven't eaten this morning… Did you three eat yet?," asked Yukina curiously, starting to get onto her feet. That's when even more rumbles joined in with Yukina's stomach, creating an orchestra of simultaneous groaning and gentle giggles. "I'll assume that was a yes… I'll go and make something for breakfast." With that, the naïve youngster made her way to the door as the girls settled down and went back to their little list.
"OK," Keiko announced seriously as soon as their youkai friend had closed the sliding door, "are we really going to get drunk at my house? I mean, Yukina-chan has no clue what alcohol even is!," the brunette shouted out vehemtly. Shizuru hissed at her to stay quiet, whilst the ferry onna slapped a hand over Yukimura's mouth, knowing that a nervous look was spreading out on her flustered face.
"Keiko-chan," Botan whispered gently as she glanced at the thin door cautiously, hoping that no one had heard her friend's outburst, "we musn't let anyone hear about that, especially Genkai-sama. Although she's a tough one, she does care about our well-being, and drinking at the party will certainly be out of the question if she hears about it. Plus," the bluenette added nervously as she quickly glanced at Shizuru, who had a cigarette hanging casually out of her lips and struggled with her lighter, "Yukina-chan might want to know exactly what 'alcohol' is." Then, very slowly, the usual chipper woman removed her hand off of Keiko's face as the girl glared at her.
"Then maybe we shouldn't have it," she said simply, folding her thin arms across her modest chest. Botan swallowed down a whimper as she gave her friend a frightened expression, feeling her violet drops tear up slightly. She clasped her pale hands together, making a rather loud clap as Botan leaned in closer to the host of the soon-to-be masquerade, making herself look as pitiful as possible.
"Come on, Keiko-chan. Please, don't take away our privileges for the drinks," she whined as she threw her arms around the brunette's slim waist. Shizuru chuckled into her fist before taking a long drag while Keiko began to pry off Botan's strong arms off of her body.
"Botan-chan, quit groveling. You've never pleaded like this before." Botan buried her face into Keiko's side, rubbing her nose against the bones that stuck out there. Keiko groaned with annoyance dribbling off of the sound. "Please Botan…"
"You know what she wants," Shizuru said in a strained voice as she coughed out the dark grey smoke. Keiko rolled her eyes while Botan's vice grip seemed to tighten even more. "Just give in. Hell, I, for one, would love it if you would allow the drinks to flow in." Botan, hearing this with her sensitive ears, pulled away slightly and stared at the brunette with wide, gleaming amethyst drops.
"Hai, and Yukina-chan did hear the mention of drinks… Wouldn't it be a little disappointing if there weren't anything to conquer thirst at the masquerade?" Keiko narrowed her eyes at Reikai's trusted ferrier, making the startled woman to loosen the sudden embrace. Shizuru nearly laughed at this as she took a puff of the tobacco stick.
"You two really will say anything to get your way, right?," stated the irritated young onna as beads of nervous sweat trickled down her hot cheeks. The eldest of the group nodded her nod lazily as Botan gulped down a stunned cry and nodded as well. Keiko heaved a sigh. "I'll contemplate the idea…"
"Breakfast's ready!," they all heard Yukina call out from the kitchen as their tummies grumbled once more. Botan squealed eagerly as she released her anaconda-like grip on Keiko as she bolted out of the room, forgetting the ordeal that had happened a few moments ago. Keiko, stunned that the argument had ended abruptly, blinked a few times as her much taller friend helped her to her feet. Shizuru winked at the onna as she flicked the cigarette out of her mouth.
"Just listen to Botan, Keiko-chan. I know she can be a ditz, but you know when it comes to parties like this, she can't contain herself," she advised her young galpal, who only meekly nodded as they walked out of the room silently.