HAH! I lied! I didn't expect 20 reviews because not many like OCs, so I shot for twice as much as I really wanted! Just to clear up any misconception; I should have gone over this part more, Gabriel caught the disease from all the infected bodies she and Chu found in the castle's hospital. I got such a positive reaction to Gabi's fever-induced sillyness, that I wrote an extra chunk of nonsense just for you fun-lovers. I hope it may force you to laugh your posteriors off in a most enjoyable way.

Chapter 17

Do I Know You?

Gabi walked out into the cool evening, enjoying the cool breeze. The trees and street signs were dancing the glittering traffic lights; she skipped in her slippers down the cross walk, not waiting for the little red man in the light to tell her it was safe to walk. Cars and trucks skidded to a halt, some crashing into one another. They honked their horns angrily at her; Gabi waved cheerfully and giggled, going on her merry way.

The park was not far away from Kurama's house and she went in the chain link fence, holding her arms straight out beside her and imitating an airplane. She ran down the sidewalk, but in her mind she was flying. She stopped when she heard the sound of thousands of voices calling out to her from tiny flowers and plants. She uttered a long string of nonsensical syllables, and dropped to her knees, caressing the little flora. "What's that you say? This is a magical world inside an hourglass? Whimsical peonies!" she kicked off her slippers when the plants told her they would keep an eye on them for her.

"Doot doo doot doo, doot doo doot doo." She danced through the trees in a waltz that resembled the Macarena. "Dale a tu cuerpo alegria Macarena

Que tu cuerpo es pa' darle alegria y cosa buena

Dale a tu cuerpo alegria Macarena

Ehhhh, Macarena!" stricking a pose, the grass applauded, screaming for an encore. "Thank you, and now, the fight scene!" at that moment, an unlucky squirrel, out after his bedtime, scampered by her foot. Seizing him by his tail, she twirled him around and slung him around her self like Bruce Lee with a pair of nunchucks. Her grip began to slip on his poor tail and he flew head long into a crepe myrtle; the delicate, ruffling white flower petals rained down on her. "Hey, its snow! But its not cold… it must be dandruff. Hey, use some Pantele pro-6, Mr. Tree; it'll clear that problem right up!"

"'Ey!" a group of stoned teenage boys wandered by her, "Are you talking to Mr. Tree?" one of the three males asked her. She nodded; he glared at the tree as he spoke to her, "Don't listen to anything that bastard says! He's a liar and he stole my girlfriend!"

She turned back to the tree, "I trusted you!" she cried, and as she turned away she stubbed her toe on a hard metal object. Picking it up, she made out the shape of a discarded horse shoe from a game of toss. "The crown of king Arthur!" she said, tears coming to her eyes. Leaping on top of a bench, she spread her arms to address the 'audience' like Mark Anthony, "Friends! Rodents! Quadrapeds! Lend me your ears! It has befallen me this day, the legendary coronet of the Round Table, that I should take it up as my own and rule the forest…" she turned her eyes to the 'crown' with a lust for power, "not as a girl, but as a queen! Not dark, but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Trecherous as the sea! All shall love me and despair!"

The stoned followers bowed down in front of her in a worshipping position, "Praise the queen, man!" Gabi stepped from her perch and stood before her humbled subjects. "Arise," she said to the first, "and be known now as lord Rowsby Woof; my royal endochronologist."

Rising, he saluted her with his foot, which was missing a shoe. "I shall serve you well, dude." He swore solemly. Going to the next person, she said, "Stand, and you shall be the Duke of Hazard, my personal jar-opener!" He stood and put his big toe up his nose, "Yes, my liege!"

Knighting the last of the three, she said, "Awaken as Captain Crunchy-Trouble! Head of the royal army of albino black sheep!" He arose, only to bend over and throw up on his shoes. The three boys raised their smoldering blunts in tribute, "Hail the bitch with the horse shoe on her head!"

"Like, what is your bidding, dude?" lord Rowsby Woof asked. Stroking her chin with one hand, she said, "Fetch me… a waffle… shaped like… a sphere!"

Holding up his blunt like a sword, he said, "Muskateers, our country calls us-hey, dammit, that's mine!" The captain had seized Rowsby Woof's cigarette and darted off with it. Rowsby woof turned to the duke, "Don't just stand there, help me!"

"Um, who are you?" the duke said, dazed.

"Ah, fuck you!" Rowsby woof said, dissapointed at his companions wastedness.

"Hey, buddy are you lookin' for trouble?"

"Yeah, that bastard ran off with my weed!"

"Oh, uh, then lets go catch him!" they began to depart, but slipped in the captain's forgotten puddle of vomit and knocked themselves out.

Gabi, having forgotten her followers when distracted by a butterfly, skipped merrily through the trees, tripping over her own feet now and again. It started to drizzle; the tiny droplets hit her skin, tickling her. "B-bugs! BUGS! Get'em off, get'em off!" she squealed and ran around a tree, slapping her arms and legs. She tore of her pajamas and her 'crown' and ran across the park, screaming bloody murder in a light undershirt and strawberry-print boxers over her undies. She dove into a wishing fountain, thrashing and shrieking. Noticing the shiny coins on the bottom, she forgot her trauma and started to play again. The underwater lighting gave a pleasant effect on the glittery money.

She splashed and played to her hearts content in the fountain, giggling and singing. Someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned and gasped, a dark-haired man stood there. She jumped out of the water and backed away. His face was one she would never forget, "You…" she pointed, "You're the werewolf! Raden!"

"Who?" Yusuke asked, scratching his head. Gabi backed away from him, "I killed you; your spirit was discarded!" she whimpered. Youko appeared behind Yusuke, holding the bundle of her pajamas and slippers. "Gabi, there you are!" he scolded her.

"Youko! Raden is back!" she pointed, backing away. Youko dropped the bundle; his jaw hung slack for a moment and his eyes nearly split his head in half they were open so wide. He found his voice again in a whisper, "What… did you… just say?"

"Its Raden! Standing in front of you! He must have found another body after I purged Arden of his spirit!" she cried, as if he was missing some sort of cue. Yusuke looked back and forth between them, "Uh, isn't Raden that thunder god from Mortal Kombat? Gabi, is something wrong?" he took a step towards her.

"Stay away from me, you lecherous werewolf!" she screamed, running in terror into the trees.

"Gabi, wait!" he started to chase after her, and skidded to a halt to look back at the fox, "What are you standing there for? Come on!" Youko shook himself and bounded after her, calling to Yusuke over his shoulder, "Stay there! She's having delusions!"

"What?"

"Trust me, Yusuke," Youko followed the girl across the park, through the bushes and the trees. "Gabi, please stop!" he called to her. Wearily, she halted and sank to her knees; sweat and rain bathed her skin. The fox held her steady by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Tell me, what is your name?" he asked firmly, but gently.

"Gabriel Púrenard," she mumbled tiredly. It came as a shock when he realized he never knew Gabi's full name, and that he did not recognize her face; maybe it was her short haircut. In the rain, she looked almost magical, dusted with glittering drops of water, her curls dripping with water in a deeper shade of gold than before, and her cheeks were flushed against her ivory skin.

"Do you remember who I am?"

"Youko… my spouse and teacher. I'm so glad to see you, koi." She said and kissed him. The fox burned a brighter shade of red than her. 'I don't know how,' he thought, 'but I have found my Gabe again. All along she was in this girl's body.' His heart swelled with joy and he kissed her back, purring softly.

A small smile spread across his face as his golden eyes welled with joyous tears,"I've missed you for such a long time."

"Youko, where is Koronue?" she asked, turning her head slightly from side to side.

"He… passed on…Gabriel? Gabriel!" she had gone slack in his arms and shook violently. This was the critical stage. He cursed himself for letting her escape and run around in the rain, ignorant to the pain of her injuries, sustaining a blinding fever, and emotional stress of her past memories. A thought hit him like lightning, he would most likely lose her. In his grief, he held her closer, making a mewling sound and fell back into Suichi's body. The redhead picked her up and ran as fast as he could, forgetting Yusuke.