So here we are at the next part. Thanx for sticking with me (or being so bored, you've nothing else to do!). I appreciate it!
PLEASE REVIEW! ^^_^^
ME: As is, despite my protests, required... *suddenly someone from behind me puts a hand over my mouth and eyes and drags me back*
*I'm gagged quickly and tied against a tree*
HIEI: My patience has paid off. There's no one here to save you...*laughs evilly*
ME: OxO;;; mmmphhhh...mmmppphhh *I point further down the page*
HIEI: Yes, I see the story. It is written already. There is no reason to delay this.
ME: mmmpppphhhh!
HIEI: *looks really irratated. Then rips the gag off* WHAT?
ME: I have to do the disclaimer remember? If I don't, then I own you...*grinning evilly now*
HIEI: (O O);; *gets right up in my face* Say it NOW!
O
ME: Maybe I don't want to anymore...*smiling sweetly at him*
HIEI: *looking angry and shifting his eyes away from me* What do you want...
ME: *whispering into his ear*
HIEI: LO O;;;; *suddenly he turns VERY red* fine... *he releases me*
O
ME: *grinning triumphantly* hehehe my luck is finally starting to improve *tugging shirt back into place* Now, As I was saying, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, just the stories...
._.
"An Uneventful Flight"
Previously...
.
~~~~~Just before I stepped into the hallway leading to the plane I looked back. There she is. Standing just where I left her. I smiled at her in encouragement and wonder why I don't feel so sad? Shouldn't I?
But I've stood there too long and the people behind me are getting pissed so I walk on, hoping maybe I'll see her soon...
*Click* (the tape recorder is shut off~~~~~
.
*click*
I board the plane.
"It's really hot in here." I mumbled irritated. They better get this show on the road soon so I can turn the A/C on or I'm gonna bust some heads! I hunt down my assigned seat, which is all the way at the frigging back. 'Figures!' I snarl still more agitated.
Sitting hard into my seat, I start tapping my fingers on the glass of the small airplane window. The rhythm almost reminds me of... AND THAT'S IT! I start singing "Staying Alive! Staying Alive! Oo Oo Oo Oo. Staaayyyyinnngggg Alllliiiiiiiiiivvveee!..." at the top of my lungs. I look to my left for Jazz to back me up and then I realize once again that she isn't here...
*click*
._.
*click*
The plane ride is dull. So dull that even watching the guy picking a winner five seats over from me suddenly seems extremely interesting. It's been 9 hours already and I still have 17 hours to go. My mind begins to play with me 'I...I'm not going to make it, sir! Just go on without me'. I grab my throat. How long have I been sitting here? Will the engine stop? Will Dorothy ever make it home? 'We're not Kansas anymore'...'Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn'...'I'll make him an offer he can't refuse'.
Over and over my mind switches looking for an internal channel that's interesting. Man, my brain needs cable! This is soo sad. I've really let myself go. I look down at my stomach 'Oh my god! I'm gaining weight from sitting here too long. Look how my thighs are spreading! Can no one stop them? Will they take over this plane?' My face is contorted in mortal fear.
The lady next to me looks over at me looking at my lap and gets a weird look on her face. She leans into me and whispers "Have you had an accident dear? Perhaps I can help you cover it till you get to the bathroom?"
I face fault. "What?" I shout. She startles and looks a little embarrassed "I just thought you looked like you, umm, needed help?"
I stare at her with my mouth hanging open. Normally this would have easily set me off but I'm sooo slap happy... That's just tooo funny! I'm laughing so hard no sound comes and tears stream from my eyes. This earns even more strange looks from other passengers near me, making me laugh harder. I'm doubled over now gasping for breath.
One woman who's been watching from too far away to hear my previous conversation apparently thinks the other woman upset me and I'm crying. She bolts up and comes over shouting at the other lady "How dare you hurt that poor girl! Just look what you've done! You should be ashamed of yourself! You'd better apologize right now!" I try to speak. To calm this lady-in-shining-armor down. But I can't get enough air. I try again and manage to squeak out an explanation.
Not that there's any way to really explain that without sounding like a full on moron. Jazz would be laughing her head off, I'm not laughing at all. After that I figure I better just zone out for the rest of the ride.
And I do.
*click*
._.
*click*
Two headaches, 3 muscle spasms and 6 leg cramps later. The plane finally lands. I feel horrible. I slept a lot but it feels like I haven't slept in weeks. Serious jet lag, ugh! I have one thing in my favor. I only have one carryon bag and a rolling suit case that isn't that large to cart around.
So I stand up to get off this god forsaken plane and reach above to the compartment to get my suit case. WOOAAAHHH!
My B.O. is bad enough to kill someone! And it's just morning in Japan! I'm supposed to go to the company to meet the people I'm going to work with before seeing my new pad. This won't due. That's all I need...to be known as the 'smelly American chic'.
Well, wouldn't know? Japan is like the coolest place for strange conveniences and all kinds of weird unusual things. I've heard they even had soda pop made out of jelly! Yechh!
But so anyways, this airport has special bathrooms that have showers. I have to pay for it but that's ok. I waste no space or time in boogying over there to take a shower and redo my make-up. The hot water was great against my skin, as I scrubbed off a whole childhood of memories!
I'm really starting all new! Slipping on clean clothes, I picked out a purple silver sundress. The material's so thin, it kisses me and bells against my shape. Yeah, it looks hot, so light I don't even feel like I'm wearing anything. Snazzy sandals are laced around my bare ankles like snakes. I check myself out in the mirror, turning side to side. Man, Do I look good! Now I'm ready to go!
Heading out of the airport, I clutch with great determination, the paper with directions to the office from the airport. That and its precious map of the city. I figure 'It shouldn't be too hard to find this place' and head off down the street.
*click*
._.
*click*
That was 2 hours ago.
I'm sweating like a pig, drawing stares no matter where I stumble. I'm in some kind of market plaza. There's a big blue sign arched over it, but of course written in Japanese characters, I don't know what it says. I should have reached the office within 30 minutes. Where am I anyway? I stop and stare at the map... and I can feel the gooey ooze of my eyes glazing over.
"Oh" I say "How stupid of me! I should have turned left at this street...Well, there's a short cut if I take this street right here..." Feeling like I might finally get to this end of this crazy journey, I fold up the map and head off, picking up my pace. Damn, I'm so freaking hungry for lunch…. for breakfast… for…. my god! How long has it been since I've eaten? A day and a half? Two days? Did I even eat anything the day I left?
I come to the street that's a short cut, my stomach growls. And is it ever crowded. I'm not used to such a heavy plush of people walking so closely together! They make me think of sardines in a can, only they smell better… mostly. I realize I'm still standing there but damn, I just don't want to get in the pulse of that crowd. My stomach snarls again, this time so loud, some guy turns and looks at me.
Then I see it! The silver shine! The amazing astronomically astounding glint of a candy wrapper!! Some old lady had it in her hand, just barely opened and it looked like she was going to throw it in the trash next to the building on that sidewalk! 'NOOOOO!' I thought crazed. My stomach lurched hard, then roared with me! 'I'll save you chocolate!' I thought loudly.
In that moment, all I can say in my own defense is that clearly… I wasn't thinking.
*ahem*
I had moved so swiftly to rescue the chocolate from her hand, on what I thought was on its way to the trash can… But when I got right up by her and snatched it, I saw that on the other side of the trash can was a little kid. He'd just been too short to see. And I'm going to assume that it was her grandson or something, but I just don't know.
And hey, at that point, I had the chocolate in my hands and I don't know how I would have been able to explain that to them, if I wanted to try to give it back. Who knew if they even spoke English? I sure as hell didn't speak Japanese! And the lady was staring at me, this crazy foreigner, so deeply, that I was pretty damn sure she didn't realize I'd pilfered her chocolate right out of her hands yet!
So yeah, I'm not proud of it… but I made a decision… I took off with my booty!
Up ahead on the sidewalk at my super quick pace, the only thing I can see besides people packed close is a lamp post that is dead center of the sidewalk. I pushed my way against the tide of them, to the left of the lamp post hoping it doesn't take me too long to reach the end of the street.
BUT, as I pass the lamp post I feel a sudden and directionless gust of wind sweep past me. It flirts with my hair and threatens to lift my dress over my head. I quickly snatched it down!
The world, too, seemed to go fuzzy and light, but it was just a moment and then everything resumed its shape. It was almost like vertigo, several squiggly lines that used to be reality and the world around me, and then the world straightened out again.
'How weird!' I think, 'There isn't even a breeze today. Where did that come from?'
But the moment has passed. I reasoned it to just be delusions from starvation and with stolen chocolate melting in my hand, I decide I'm already late so I keep walking. That's right I keep walking and walking and walking.
I never find it, the office. Well, that's not true either. I followed the map to EXACTLY where it's SUPPOSED to be. But the address belongs to an ice cream shop, NOT a corporation.
I begin to panic. I try to ask people around me for help. They don't speak English. I don't speak Japanese. I show them the address, they point to the ice cream shop. This is not good.
I check my watch. It's 5:00 pm in Japan. The sun will set in another hour or so. My whole f&*king day is gone. What will I do?
I think. I think REALLY hard. Hey! I'll call Jazz! She'll know what to do! This thought helps me calm down and I begin to search for a phone. It still winds up taking me about 10 minutes but I finally found one! I look at my paper with the code for calling the U.S. and carefully dial out.
*Riiinnng...Riiinnnggg*
(a recorded and heavily modulated voice picks up) "We're sorry but the number you dialed is disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please hang up and try the number again. Code # 6 6 4. *Beep beep Beep* We're sorry but the number you dialed is disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please hang up and try the number again. Code # 6 6 4".
I freeze. "What?"
I dial this number all the time. I know it's the right number. I try again. This time I punch each number very carefully. But I get the recording again. And again. And again. "What's going on?" I practically scream. So I try my parents' number. I really don't feel like talking to them right now but they'll just have to do...
"We're sorry but the number you dialed is disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you have reached this recording in error, please hang up and try the number again. Code # 6 6 4. *Beep beep Beep* We're sorry but the number you dialed is disconnected or is no longer in service. If you feel you've reached this recording in error, please hang and try the number again. Code # 6 6 4".
And there went all of my coins…
This can't be happening! What is going on? Now I am really freaked out. I wasn't prepared for this. I should have been but, then again, details were never my thing. 'Think clearly, come on Enigma, use your head!' I rail at myself. Damn! Ok! I know! I'll head out and look for a motel I can stay in for the night, while I figure out what to do…
I shove a bite of the forbidden chocolate bar in my mouth. I'm hurrying up the sidewalk trying to beat the sunset and my dress twists tightly in the wrong direction, bunching up. I look down, trying impatiently to adjust it as I walk, the chocolate bar dangling from my lips half eaten. *Smack*
I crash into something soft and fall backwards landing on my butt. "OWWW!" My chocolate snaps in half and falls on the sidewalk. I snarl and snatch it up in my hand, dirty or not, anyways. I look up and see this girl around my age with bright blue hair also on her butt and I grin, feeling suddenly like a barbaric a$$. "Sorry." I mumbled and stagger up, attempting to help her up as well, with my non-chocolate covered hand.
Then it dawns on me that I apologized in English and she probably doesn't have a clue what I said. And my sense of loneliness washes back over me making me frown. She seems startled at my words but then recovers a little too quick, smiling broadly at me. Twisting my body, so I don't do something stupid like turn my back on her, I try to look behind myself… o_O
But I don't see who she's smiling so freely at. When I turn back and look at her looking at me, I figure it must actually be me. 'OOOkkk.' I think 'perhaps she has escaped from a nearby mental ward. I'll just slip away quietly...'
Me and my smeared hand turn to walk and she blurts out "Hello! You speak English don't you?" I froze, debating my options about answering her or not, but apparently she's waiting to see if I understand her. 'Does she think I'm an alien? Is she one?' I ponder. She is really starting to creep me out. "Uh. Yeah, actually, I do. Did I hit your head or something?" I say slowly dragging out my words.
She giggled like a school girl ignoring what I said entirely and says "Oh great! Where are you from? My name is Botan. What's yours? Have you had dinner? If not, we could go out somewhere together and talk!" I stare at her like she has three heads but sigh. She's probably the only English speaking person I'm going to find today and my options are severely limited, so despite the warning bells going off in my head, I may as well get to know her...
Looking for some strength, I open my hand and take a big lick of chocolate. Somehow, stolen or not, dirty or not, it tastes amazing.
Then turning fully to her for the first time, I take a deep breath "I'm from the U.S. Name is Enigma. I came here for a working abroad program but I seem to be lost. Don't suppose you could help me?"
Her eyes glitter. She looks really excited. This scares me. I've never seen someone so happy before and, frankly, I NEVER want to AGAIN!
I take another big BIG lick…
She comes close. "Sure! Where are you trying to go?" I show her the address and map. There's a dark brownish smudge now on the X marked spot but she coughs and tries to rub it out subtly while studying it. She looks up and says "No problem! This way!" Then she grabs my arm and drags me down the street…
Right back to the ice cream shop.
I look like I'm about to cry. She looks at me and panics. "What's wrong? Don't you like ice cream? Does it bring back bad memories? I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I stare at this odd woman in disbelief. What planet is she from?
And another…. llliiiiccckkkk…
So I take a deep breath and tell her in more detail why I'm here in Japan and my day's events up till now. My stomach growls again, not satisfied, but the chocolate is licked clean. I feel very sad.
Misreading the sad look on my face, she nods her head sympathetically and then suddenly that odd scary happy light comes back in her eyes.
"Hey! You obviously need a place to stay till you sort this out right? Well, you can stay at my friend Genkai's place. She won't mind at all. How about it?" she blurts all together. This doesn't sound like a great idea at all to me but I don't really have a lot of options right now and it's starting to get dark. So, with great effort and a very empty stomach, I say "Um. Well, if you really don't think she'll min..."
And before I can finish my sentence she dragging me away down the street.
I try to pay attention to the streets I'm passing so I can find my way back tomorrow but it's hard to focus on a damn thing with her mouth running a mile a minute. "I just know you'll be fine. This will all work out I'm sure. This is actually a great time for you. The whole gang will be there tonight for dinner." she rambles, and my stomach roars like Godzilla, I pinch it to shut it up.
"Everyone will love you...blah, blah, blah" she continues on like a train wreck. Geez, this girl never shuts up. But suddenly I laugh. She is funny though. And I like her energy. And it's nice to have someone to talk to again, too. Maybe it's lucky that I ran into her after all...
She leads me through street after street. I'm completely lost and at her mercy now. I've stopped trying to quiet my stomach or remember how I got where I am. I look up and unexpectedly find she's lead me to a hill with, like, 10,000 steps! I stop dead and drag her to a stop with me, "We… uh, we don't really have to climb all of these steps, do we? Isn't there an elevator somewhere?" She laughs at me like I'm on Comedy Central and says "You're funny. Genkai's home is at the top. Come on! We're late already!"
I grudgingly follow (what choice do I have?), trying to keep up. I'm starting to breathe hard not even a third of the way. *panting hard* 'I REALLY need to start going to the gym again. This is really sad. Good thing Jazz can't see me or she'd be laughing her head off right now!' I'm thinking that Jazz would have laughed at me about all this crap, more than she would have ever felt sympathetic and I'm starting to wonder why we're friends. What seems like a century later, I reach the top of the stone steps.
I stop, grasping my sides. Then decide to do an armpit check. *sniff sniff, sniff sniff* 'Yep. The deodorant's still working. Good'. Then I look up and see Botan looking at me oddly and I grin at her, embarrassed. I do a full shoulder shrug dramatically, what am I supposed to say? She laughs and pulls me along again.
I look up then and am surprised for yet a second time! This isn't a house at all! It looks like a temple of some sort. This can't be Genkai's place. Where has she taken me?
But there is no time to think as she attempts to drag me inside. Suddenly she stops, full tilt, right before the door (with my heart pounding in nervousness) and says "Uh, you have chocolate, um, right there…" pointing at the tip of my nose. Humiliated at my earlier animalistic behavior, I scrubbed at it with my arm. And before I could ask her if it's all gone, suddenly I find myself shoved roughly inside.
And so these are my first impressions;
It's a large room, squarish with not a lot of furniture or decoration, but instead, filled with people. Well, not people exactly but young people, we're different. Or maybe it's just me that's different, as they all look up at me and Botan as we slid the door open to step in...
AARRRGGGHHHHH!
I absolutely hate people staring at me. My defenses flare up and my face darkens. I barely manage to stop myself from screaming "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" Yeah, I can be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but so what?
Then Botan opens her mouth and starts talking… and I turn my head towards her and stare... She isn't speaking English anymore and given the country I'm in, I can only assume it's Japanese...
How frustrating! I know she's talking about me, I can tell by the way they are sending more and more curious looks my way. My defenses harden further, and my funky personality evaporates. The older woman nods her head at Botan. The rest just look.
Then Botan turns to me "Ok. So I explained to them a little about finding you and your situation. Genkai is the woman over there (she points to the old woman, with faded punker pink hair), and she says it's fine if you stay." I took at the lady, and am shocked at how much of a 'little old lady' she really is! Just an itty bitty thing, with her hands neatly folded behind her back. But her eyes are sharp as tacks and bore straight through me. Getting irritated at her at first, I remind myself she's letting me crash her place, and force a smile and then kind of inspect my feet a minute to avoid her eyes.
Botan taps me on the shoulder. "Now, I know you can't speak Japanese but I'll still tell you everyone's names. This is Keiko." she starts, pointing to a girl with mouse brown hair. The chic looks really sweet natured and all that, smiling at me with a small wave of her hand, so I smile back.
"This is Yuusuke." Botan says, jerking her thumb next to Keiko, towards a tall lanky boy with ebony hair. He's really quite a looker but he strikes me as a punk too, and when I see the cocky smile on his face I know I'm right. I give him the same look back in challenge. He grins at me then, all teeth.
Giggling, Botan continues "This is Yukina." She says this, pointing in the direction of the other side of the room, where a very short girl with sea green hair and...red eyes(?) stands. The girl is the epitome of kawaii but just doesn't look right, almost like she's not human. 'Not human?' I think to myself 'What a stupid thing to think.' She looks harmless and really sticky sweet, so I mentally kick myself for my thoughts and smile gentle as cotton towards her.
Botan seems not to notice and keeps going "This is Kuwabara." This time she points to a really tall guy for a Japanese, with orange hair curled tight and greased up in some kind of old world biker gang pompadour hairstyle, standing protectively behind Yukina. I almost laugh out loud because I don't know how I didn't notice him behind her when I was looking at her a moment ago. He looks kind of silly with such a seriously old school hairdo and I figure he'll be fun to tease so I give him a mischievous grin in flat out warning.
I think Botan caught my look but she didn't say anything. "This is Kurama." Botan pushes on, pointing to an amazingly hot guy that is way 'too pretty for a guy' with red hair flowing like water past his shoulders and the most gorgeous green eyes I have ever seen. That's a huge weakness of mine, so I can't help smiling like a fool. Those eyes are deep too, I could really get lost in them...
Suddenly I snap out of it! I was staring! Ugh! How embarrassing! He smiles at me politely but I can see he noticed. I shift, squeamish and uncomfortable. He's obviously quite intelligent with eyes like those, I'll need to be extra careful around him. So I start by smiling cautiously...
"And finally… " Botan pauses a little too long with a sigh "this is Hiei." Botan injects this drug out introduction with a strange lilted tone, that seems to hang off the very air, in the uncomfortably quiet moment, as if she had been putting this introduction off. I turned to look at her in question of the strange tone, and then followed with my eyes, the direction her finger pointed towards the wall. And there, away from everyone else, as far away as he could be, I look to see him, this one called Hiei.
I looked him straight in the eyes, red flashing eyes, as he is now looking straight at me~ and WHAM! I feel a bolt of electricity straight through my body! My eyes widen comically. My heart is suddenly slamming in my chest and my mouth falls open. I realize, on some level, that I'm staring but I can't seem to get a hold of myself.
The whole room is silent, or I just can't hear them, and I'm chained to his eyes.
But while I stand gaping like a fool, his face remains unreadable. I can feel embarrassment etching deeply into me. Soon, I fear, my whole face will match the color of his eyes! Unbearable! Several minutes past and finally with super human effort I did not know I possessed, I pried my stubborn eyes away from him. Choosing to stare at the floor to save myself, my hands were trembling and my cheeks were flushed. What the hell is the matter with me?
I didn't dare look at anyone for fear of giving myself away. God knows what I looked like at that moment. Probably a complete clown.
I had completely lost control of my emotions and in a room full of strangers at that! What is the world coming to?
Botan must have thought he scared me because she came right over and put her arms around me, saying "It's ok. He's always like that. Don't worry about him..."
Then I hear it, his completely, unexpectedly, deep baritone voice. It just sends delicious tingles through my whole body!
"=Something in Japanese=" Hiei says.
Botan picks her head up quickly looking at him, a stern look caking her features. She got a tone of her own in her voice, retorting back, "=Something in Japanese!=" There was rubbery stiff tension now, that I could feel pulled taunt across my chest, making it way too hard to breathe, in the terminal wait of a translation from her…
But whatever she said or he said I wouldn't know, and I can only continue to look to her to explain...
.
.
._.
.
So, Was it good? How was your first meeting with Hiei? Did it make you happy? If not, tell me why and I'll try to fix it!
*she suddenly slides up next to Hiei*
*he growls*
HIEI: Just get this over with!
ME: ;D he he he...
