Ch6 Fight, Flight…Party Night!
Under the piece of debris was a round circle of smooth, polished metal. The disk was about half a meter across; and though it appeared to be a mirror, it was not. Gabi looked down at her reflection, and through it she saw the mirror was hazy, as if it were a window of a house looking out into the fogginess of night. "What's this?" she reached down to touch it and suddenly jerked her hand away, hissing between her teeth. Kurama approached the mystical disk and peered into it.
He kicked a small stone onto the disk; it did nothing to harm the small stone, and so he tapped it quickly with one finger. Seeing it caused no harm, he picked up the mirror to examine it closer. "What is the evil that flows from that mirror, Kurama?" Gabi asked, cringing.
"It's reiki, it feels like reiki, but it is not a living thing. Perhaps this mirror is some sort of carrier or storage for energy; that would explain why Hiei's Jagan detected it as a reiki source."
"I wonder what it does. Shall we return to Koenma and let him examine it?"
"Well, there's nothing else to do here." Yusuke put his hands behind his head lazily, "if we can't fight anybody, and the only people around are Fugaki, lets just go back."
"Agreed then, let us leave at once." Kurama said and tucked the mirror under his arm to reach into his pocket for his communicator with his other hand. Botan was summoned and a new portal was created from Makai to the Reikai headquarters.
"This is an interesting piece of equipment, you have found. I believe it is a transmitter of spirit energy; one can use something like this to spread the affects of a special power from a long distance. It's like a walkie-talkie for reiki. And from what you described to me, I believe this is the work of an illusionist-hypnotist." Koenma stared at the disk on his desk. Kurama wrung out his hair while listening. George the ogre handed out fluffy towels with the Reikai seal embroidered on the corners.
"Can you find out who made it, or who is using it, better yet?" Gabi leaned on Koenma's desk, dripping but attentive.
"I'll have it scanned for fingerprints and spiritprints right away. Ogre!" he barked. George ran to his lord's side, "Take this mirror and have it analyzed right now." The small ruler ordered. The blue ogre picked up the disk with soft cloths in each hand so as not to transfer his own fingerprints to it, or mar any evidence of existing prints. "The results should come back within the hour, in the mean time… Yusuke, Gabi! You two are in for it now! I said not to get into conflict!"
"Get off our backs Koenma!" Yusuke yelled, flipping him off, "Nobody got hurt but us, so go take your pacifier and stuff it up your ass!"
"We didn't hurt any body, Koenma. No one was in the city but gutter imps anyway!" Gabi pleaded, coming between them.
"The point was not to fight at all, and you completely disobeyed orders, Gabi! This isn't some game; there are real lives at stake! A rookie like you wouldn't understand, I never should have put you on this case in the first place if you can't even obey simple instructions!"
Gabi stared back at him, her lip thin, and eyes wide and penetrating. She put her hand on his desk and leaned in close to his face, making him press uncomfortably into the back of his chair, and said in a soft but powerful voice, "The point, your majesty, is that youdid. Given the situation and my frame of mind, I had to protect the others from what I perceived as a threat. I could not have stood by and let that threat go on no matter what I had agreed to. If your brain can't process that information, I'd be glad just to let you fire me and never have to see my face in here again." She straightened and walked out of the room with an imposing rung. The room was silent for several minutes. "Dick," Yusuke followed Gabi to make sure she was all right. Kurama followed to make sure she knew her way home from Reikai. Kuwabara followed, wondering what the hell had just happened. Hiei…he had disappeared during the course of the argument.
"Yo, Gabi." Yusuke said softly, approaching the female radiating energy she could not yet channel. "You okay? I've almost never seen you mad like that before." She turned to face him, he jumped back in surprise; her reiki, though weak compared to his own, made her eyes smolder in a way the overhead lighting paled in link to. Her short curls writhed as her wild ki flared outside of her body. Growling, she clenched her fists and raised her arm to destroy something. Settling for the drywall beside Yusuke's head, her head bowed and her muscles relaxed. She started to shake like she was cold. "Pig-headed male." She muttered, revealing her bright green eyes and a smile. Yusuke smiled, having his old friend back in place of the fiery amazon.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Kurama stood in the hallway, observing the two. Yusuke laughed, "Naw, we were just leaving. Want to come? I was planning a little get-together at my place, in celebration of Gabi's stay; well, Keiko and I planned it but it's at my place."
"How could you have been planning? You only realized she was staying this morning; I was listening to your conversation from across the room."
"Yeah, I remember, when Gabi called you a twig." Yusuke scratched his head again. "I had a feeling that she wasn't going anywhere. Either way, I was going to have a shindig."
"Well, what ever the case, I would love to come. Are you going to invite Kuwabara?"
"Somebody say my name?" said carrot-top made his way down the hallway. "Yo, Kuwabara, be at my place by eight, we're throwin' Miss. Temper-tantrum here a party."
"She's scary…"
"Just don't piss her off and she's happy as a clam. Speaking of which, she disappeared. Kurama did you- crap! Where'd he go?" Yusuke glanced around, finding the two of which he had been speaking gone.
"So, you think I'm a twig, do you?" Kurama said goodheartedly.
"You're pretty skinny, like me; we have the same build." Gabe toweled her head with the towel she got from Koenma. She had changed her clothes again at Yusuke's house, waiting for him to get home. Kurama had borrowed clothes from Yusuke, being as close as a brother to him.
"Actually, yours is a bit different in your shoulders; they're proportionally wider, giving you the build for much strength."
"Really. Speaking of strength, I wonder when Koenma will get me some training…"
"Training? For what?"
"Oh, nothing." Gabe kept her face hidden under the towel. Her shamanism was a secret between only her and Yusuke. "Do you play checkers?" she said, pulling a pocket-sized magnetic-board game out of her bag.
"Yes, I do. So, from what I had heard, you travel quite a bit." Kurama sat on the couch in front of the coffee table, while Gabi chose to sit on the floor across the table from him.
"Yeah, its for my foster father's work."
"Foster father; are you… an orphan?" His green eyes mimicked her own. Gabi nodded, moving a red piece. "How unfortunate for you; I almost was one also; my mother had become very ill once."
"You don't have a father?"
"I do now; she remarried a short while after she had recovered. My blood father died when I was an infant." He moved a black piece. "I have a mother, a father, and even a little brother now. Having a family is so…"
"Fulfilling?"
"Yes…"
"I never knew my blood family. Daren said he had known them; he used to tell me stories about them when I was a little girl. I don't think half of them where true; they were like fairy-tales." Gabi jumped one of his pieces.
"What were they like?"
"He says they were magical… they could heal and create and love with all their hearts. They sent me away to protect me, and died for their love of me… it was so much more interesting the way he told it." She laughed at herself. Kurama frowned slightly. "Its okay, you don't have to feel sorry for yourself like that."
"What? Oh, I was just thinking; I can't tell a story unless I sing it. I'll let you in on a little secret," she raised her hand to her mouth as if someone else could be listening. "I love to sing, and I play, and I dance a lot. Music is like a part of me, but I don't do it a lot for other people." Kurama jumped two of her pieces in a row and reached the opposite side of the board, "King me. I used to know someone who could sing. She had a beautiful voice, but little confidence to sing in front of others."
"Who was she?"
"…Its not important." Yusuke's front door opened. "There you are, right on time, Yusuke." He said. Yusuke glared, "What do you mean, 'right on time?' Its my house!" he stomped in, followed by Keiko, Kuwabara, Shizuru, Botan, and Yukina shadowed by Hiei; all of whom were laden with food. "Kurama?"
"Hm?" he turned back to Gabi.
"I win."
(O.O)"But… how?"
The group of old friends settled and distributed the high-in-sugar products. Botan seized Gabi by the hand, "So nice to meet you personally! My name is Botan!"
"Yo." She replied coolly.
"This is Shizuru; Kuwabara's older sister, and Yukina-"
"Yo, we're acquainted. 'Sup Shizuru?"
"The ceiling." The brunette slapped her a high five. "You look like a musician."
"How'd you guess?"
"You have nimble fingers, but they're a bit worn. What do you play?"
"Oh, this and that."
"Can you play guitar?"
"Yeah,"
"Yusuke has a guitar." Keiko said. "Will you play something for us, Gabi? Please? You sing good songs when you play."
"I don't know, Keiko. There is a bunch of people here, and I'm really not that good…"
"Please?" Keiko pleaded, "I'll bring you those cookies that you love so much."
"HOT DOG!" at her shout, several heads turned. Gabi dashed into Yusuke's room in search of the guitar. Several crashes were heard, "Found it!" she bounded back into the room, leaping on the coffee table. "Music time, kiddies! Gather round! Gather round!" The girls took the couch, while the boys scattered themselves on chairs and side tables. "What did you want me to sing, Keiko?"
"How about something from one of the countries you've been to?" Yukina's face lit up, "Yes, something from a foreign land!"
"Oh, like that narrows it down, Keiko. Hey, that gives me an idea," Gabe strummed the neglected guitar, tuning the cords and stretching her fingers; she struck a wrong cord here and there, but no one seemed to mind. At length she began to sing. Her voice was fair and strong, filling the room and lending to the song. The tune was not consistent, but neither were the lyrics; she sang a mix of Jonny Cash, Aqua, and Metallica.
I was totin' my packAlong the dusty Winnemucca roadWhen along came a semiWith a high and canvas covered load"If you're going to Winnemucca, MackWith me you can ride."So I climbed into the cabAnd then I settled down insideHe asked me if I'd seen a roadWith so much dust and sandAnd I said, "Listen, Bud I've traveled every road in this here land." Yusuke beat on the coffee table, helping Gabi keep pace. The others unconsciously started to clap. Hiei disappeared in disgust until further noticed. An image was created in their minds: clouds, mountains, plains, deserts, lakes, oceans, forests, and jungles… I've been everywhere, manI've been everywhere, man'Cross the deserts bare, manI've breathed the mountain air, manOf travel, I've had my share, man I've been every- where.Been to Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota,Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota,Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma,Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma,Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo,Tocopilla, Barranquilla, and Padilla, I'm a killer.I've been everywhere, manI've been everywhere, man'Cross the deserts bare, manI've breathed the mountain air, manOf travel, I've had my share, man I've been every- where.Gabi struck a high note; Yusuke, unable to control himself, whooped. Kurama felt swept away, feeling connected and familiar. Their new friend could sing.I' ve been around the world - hey, heyI' ve been around the world - hey, hey
In the kitchen where I' m cooking what is good for me
Spices from the globe
Little by little it' s the finest meal
It' s appetite for hope - come and see
You mix it all together in your dreams
Ingredients from the Seven Seas and
I' m realizing things ain' t what they seem
That' s the riddle of it
That' s the spirit of it
That's the power of life
Places appeared in their imaginations: little grass huts, towering skyscrapers, grand palaces, ancient temples, sleepy country houses, compacted cities, quiet towns, and electric tourist traps…
I' ve been around the world (Round the world)
And I' ve seen it all (Seen it all)
I' ve been around the world (Round the world)
The sun will always rise and fall
I' ve been around the world (Round the world)
And I want you to see (Seen it all)
I' ve been the only girl (Round the world)
All surrounded by mystery
...And with dust in throat I crave
only knowledge will I save
to the game you stay a slave
rover wanderer
nomad vagabond
call me what you will
but I'll take my time anywhere
free to speak my mind anywhere
and I'll redefine anywhere
anywhere I may roam
where I lay my head is homeFaces developed: small, brown Indian men; soft, pale Chinese ladies; burly, bearded Germans; red, wispy-haired Native Americans; grinning Spaniards, waving children of all colors; all of the people smiling, happy to see them, as if the teens were there…
...And the earth becomes my throne
I adapt to the unknown
under wandering stars I've grown
by myself but not alone
I ask no one
...and my ties are severed clean
the less I have the more I gain
off the beaten path I reign
rover wanderer
nomad vagabond
call me what you willThe loneliness of the Road became apparent; she emptied her longing of normality into her song.
Anywhere I may roam
where I lay my head is home
carved upon my stone
my body lie, but still I roam
wherever I may roam
The journey stopped and they were in Yusuke's apartment again. All was silent; Gabi blushed and fingered the guitar pegs. They started to applaud, cheering. Gabi lifted the guitar strap over her head. The group made sounds of disappointment at this. "Have you really gone to all those places, Gabi?" Yukina asked.
"What places?"
"Your song- I could see places and people. I saw where you went, like I could see into your mind. You put a lot of feeling into your music."
Gabi burst out laughing, "Yup, and I've got enough souvenirs to last me a life time. Speaking of which, I think I've got just enough with me to give everybody one." Digging in her bag, Gabi pulled out several items and passed them around. "Yusuke, for you I have fine, authentic German beer, Mörder Leber." (Liver Killer)
"YES!" Keiko furrowed her eyebrows at Gabi. "Don't worry Keiko, I trusted that he doesn't know German; the bottle actually says non-alcoholic under the label. I got mineral bath salts for you from Hungary, they know how to enjoy hot springs, let me tell ya'. They're very relaxing for someone like you who puts up with Yusuke almost everyday."
"Wow, thanks!"
"Lets see, I don't know the rest of you very well, but I'll do my best based on what Yusuke and Keiko have told me. Hmm. Kuwabara, for you I shall give a Steven Lynch cd from New York City, the home of Comedy Central."
"Sweet! It comes with bonus tracks!"
"Kurama, you strike me as a tea man. I treat you to a year's supply of Chai tea, from India."
"Lovely!"
"Shizuru, from Paris I bring you the finest of makeup!"
"How did you know I studied cosmetology?"
"Yukina, I got you a small bow and arrow set from Greece; the same kind used by Artemis, goddess of the hunt and chastity. I don't know what you might use it for, but it's adorable just the same."
"It's beautiful! Thank you."
"Where's Hiei? Did he disappear again?"
"I don't see him anywhere, he probably left." Yusuke said.
"That's okay, I'll save his gift for later. Until then, let us commence the merrymaking!"