(A/N: Where did you all go reviewers? You all disappeared last chappie! I can't make things better without constructive criticisms! I NEED YOU GUYS, MAAANNNN! I need you more than a HEROINE ADDICT needs an INTERVENTION! ...okay, bad analogy, but still, the LOVE IS THERE! So read on if you're there peeps!)
"Oh thank goodness you're…well hello there." A twenty-something ningen girl said in surprise, squatting down to get to Touya's eye level, "What's your name, hun?"
Touya wasn't quite sure why, perhaps because he didn't know this onna and he wasn't particularly fond of strangers, or because that currently she towered over him, but a feeling of unease filled him and he shrank behind Yoru's legs.
"Touya." He mumbled, looking up at her, willing his childish nervousness away to glower slightly at this new face.
"Nice to meetcha, sweetie." She replied, not the least bit deterred by his anxious glare, "I'm Usami Nakane. Just call me Nakane-chan, kay?"
He gave no reply, as his childish brain grew increasingly more apprehensive, causing him to temporarily lose control and shrink further behind Yoru's legs.
"Touya-kun's a bit on the quiet side." Yoru told the onna called Nakane, "He's going through a hard time right now so be extra nice to him, alright?"
"Not a prob." Nakane replied with a smile, reaching around Yoru to take Touya's hand and tug him forward, "You go get changed, girl. I show Toy-chan around."
"Kay." Yoru nodded, moving to leave, "I'll be right back Touya-kun! And don't worry! I'm sure you'll have fun!"
"Ah!" the cry had escaped before he quite realized it as his child's brain began to panic.
His juvenile brain was boiling over with thoughts of one of the few ningens he was even vaguely familiar with abandoning him with a stranger; Touya's adult mind was being drowned in a sea of panic and his childish self was very near tears again.
"…on't worry…be…ack…" Nakane's voice cut through the chaos in his brain as she attempted to calm him, "She's just going to change. So in the meantime, why don't we go find something fun to do, okay?"
Touya faintly felt himself nodding and knew he had to regain control and began to once again forced the juvenile persona down to the bottom of his psyche.
Back in control of himself again, he found himself in a very colorful room…which currently was a very dangerous gambit for the knife-edge his mind was balancing on, that was filled with laughing, playing, shouting children.
It was loaded from corner to corner with toys, things to finger-paint, sculpt and color with, as well as a place to read or be read to.
A bright red door led outside where several dozen more children were playing on an extraordinary thing that seated many and swung them back in forth in no particular rhythm.
More were lined up in front of another piece of equipment that slid them around on their rears to a cushion mat at the bottom.
Another colorful piece of equipment spun round, and round, and ROUND as fast as one or more of the children pushed it, with many bars to hold onto to ensure they didn't go flying off.
And there was lots of equipment for climbing on in all different colors, as well as a sandpit which the young ningens molded with buckets into all kinds of things.
"Well Toy-chan?" Nakane asked, noting the fascination in Touya's ice-blue eyes, "What looks fun?"
Touya's inborn youkai instincts were drawing him outside, but his CHILD instincts…were pulling him towards the swings.
Not knowing the name of the thing though, he merely pointed at the thing and voiced:
"That."
"Ah, the swing set. Excellent choice." Nakane grinned, allowing Touya to lead her outside, "Do ya think you'll need a push? Or will ya be alright on your own?"
Touya was silent a moment as he observed how the children on the swing set pumped their legs to go higher and higher.
"I think I can manage." He replied, approaching an empty swing, taking a seat and, mimicking the children around him, pumped his legs, his juvenile brain delighting when he started swaying back and forth.
"This must be how Jin feels all the time." He thought wildly as he felt his stomach rise and fall as he went higher and higher.
"Hey Touya-kun, havin' fun?"
Startled, he dug his heels into the woodchips to bring himself to a screeching halt, looking up wildly at the owner of the voice.
"Hey, don't stop on my account." Yoru smiled, now re-dressed in a long-legged jean jumper with the Sakuranbo logo on the front pocket and a long-sleeved striped t-shirt.
"…I was finished anyway Yamin…Yoru-san." Touya replied, feeling an unfamiliar heat well up in his cheeks and embarrassment lump in his throat at letting his childish brain take control of him for more than an instant.
"Alright then, do you wanna go inside? Or play outside a bit more?" Yoru asked, getting down to his level while speaking, something Touya found strangely comforting.
"Outside, onegai." He responded, already eyeing the bright green climbing apparatus where several children were hanging from their knees.
"You got it, lil' dude." She winked, spotting one of her charges eating paste from the corner of her eye as she spoke, "I have to run inside reeeeal quick, but I'll be right back, kay?"
"Alright." Touya replied lazily, his body already moving towards the play gym as Yoru dashed into the daycare crying out, "Hisae-kun! Don't eat the paste!"
Upon reaching the destination his childish mind was screaming for, he was immediately brought nose to nose with a boy who in all appearances looked the same age as him (but we all knew he was far from it)
"You new around here?" the child asked haughtily, arms folded over his chest as he hung upside down in front of Touya.
"Maybe." The youkai replied coolly, his juvenile brain whining desperately that it wanted on the climbing gym N-O-W.
"Newbies aren't allowed on the jungle gym." The boy said self-importantly, "They gotta pass a test first."
"Test?" Touya muttered, quirking an eyebrow, and eyeing a near by Hinoki Cyprus as an idea, concocted by his currently befuddle mind, popped into his head.
"What if I climb that tree?" Touya demanded to know, "Will you let me on then?"
The arrogant boy looked thoughtful for moment, then nodded, swinging himself off the bars so he now stood before the pint sized Shinobi.
"Sure." He said with superior smile that reminded Touya a lot of Shishiwakamaru and made him want to hit the child VERY much, "You climb that and you can go on anything ya want."
"Fine." Touya shot back, his childish emotions getting the better of him as he stalked over to the tree and drove his fingers into the trunk, beginning his ascent.
The puffed-up boy watched Touya for a moment or two, before grinning to himself and dashing off to get one of the daycare workers: anyone who had attended Sakuranbo Daycare more than a day knew the tree was off limits.
"Yoru-san! Yoru-saaannn!" he hollered, dashing to the teenager, frantically tugging the leg of her jumper.
"Huh?" Yoru turned away from cleaning up the boy known as Hisae-kun, to look down at the yeller, "Indoor voice, Kazahaya. Now, what izzit, lil' dude?"
"The new kid's doin' somethin' baaad." Kazahaya said, pointing out the window at Touya, who was crawling onto a very high branch.
"Ohmi-Shiho? Take care of Hisae, would you?" Yoru called, standing up abruptly and darting outside.
"Touya-kun? Whatcha doin'?" Yoru asked calmly, trying to quash down any fears she might have of him being hurt by chanting to herself, "He's a youkai. Yooooooooukai."
"He said that if I climbed this tree, I could go on the jungle gym." Touya explained, pointing at Kazahaya before scooting further out on the branch and reaching for one above his head.
Kazahaya knew he was caught when Yoru's hand clapped down on his shoulder.
"Well, Touya-kun, he was obviously mistaken. The toys and outdoor equipment are for everyone." She called up to him, "So why don't you come down, hm?"
"Okay." Touya replied, releasing his hold on the branch above him and hearing a loud -KRAK- as he did so.
"TOUYA!" Yoru gasped, rushing forward as Touya's juvenile brain spiraled into panic, freezing the Juhyou Tsukai as he fell.
His fall was significantly softened by the fact Yoru had managed to get beneath him in time…she hadn't been able to remain standing under his falling weight, but she caught him at least.
"You okay buddy?" she asked, stoking his hair gently as he shook violently, "See? Ya scared yourself pretty bad, didn't ya? You'll be okay though. Not a scratch on ya."
"Wish I could say the same...owww." She thought to herself whinilly as her knees and feet screamed in splintering pain.
She pulled away from Touya and smiled…and did a double take.
"Say…Touya-kun?" she mumbled, "Did you, I dunno, grow about eight inches in the last five seconds?"
Touya blinked at her, forcing down all traces of childish thought before even thinking about trying to answer that question.
The reflection of himself in the daycare window told him all he needed; he had indeed had the growth spurt she claimed and now had the outward appearance of a ningen twelve year old.
"Hai, Yami…Yoru-san." he replied listlessly, massaging his temples, "I have."
"Just…making sure." She replied, looking at him oddly as she helped him to his feet, before rounding on a child who was attempting to slink away, "Koizumi Kazahaya! You stay right where you are! He could have broken his neck! You are in BIG trouble, lil' dude."
"What a day." Yoru mumbled, stumbling towards her house after dropping Touya off with Keiko, "Thank kami-sama I have a day off tomorrow."
She dug her keys out of her pocket and went to insert it…when the door creaked open slightly.
"That isn't good." She thought anxiously, narrowing her amber eyes and slipping off her shoes at the door, "Please tell me that bat's still in the hall closet."
She crept forward, wrapped her hand around the knob of the hall closet and opened it silently, searching frantically with her eyes and, gave a silent cry of joy.
Yoru took up the metallic bat signed by the entire Hanshin Tigers baseball team and began creep up the stairs, feet automatically remembering where the creaks were.
Loud shuffling noises were coming from her mother's room and, now not caring if she was heard or not, she stormed Miyasu's bedroom, catching the cat burglar seriously off guard.
"HEY FUCKFACE!" she snarled, bat readied, "GET AWAY FROM MY KAACHAN'S STUFF ASSHOLE!"
Rushing him, burglar dropped his bag of plunder and dashed around her, out the door and towards the stairs.
"GET BACK HERE YOU!" Yoru yelled.
"What's going on?" Jin wondered, his sensitive ears picking up the commotion from next door.
"Whatever do you mean?" Suzuki asked, following the red-headed Kaze Tsukai to the window.
"Wha's goin' on 'ere then?" Chuu asked, joining them, his jaw dropping at the sight that met his eyes.
Yusuke and Keiko entered the room and raised an eyebrow at the assembled party at the window.
"'cha lookin' at?" Yusuke asked curiously.
"Yer neighbor murderin' s'me rand'm dope." Jin replied, still staring as Yusuke gave a shout, dashing outside while Keiko shrieked and dived for the phone.
"What exactly do you think you're DOING?" Yusuke yelled, crossing the lawn swiftly and easily subduing his childhood friend, dragging her away from the unconscious man.
"Beatin' the crap out of a burglar!" she snapped irritably, thrashing around in a valiant, but useless attempt to free herself, "Whaddya THINK, Yusuke-chaaaaaaaaaaaannnn?"
"Fer the love of KAMI stop calling me that!" Yusuke barked as taunts of 'Yusuke-chan! Yusuke-chan!' and 'Ohhhh Yusuke-chaaannn!' could be heard emanating from the house.
"Yusuke! Oh good, you restrained her." Keiko breathed as she joined them outside, "I've called the police. They're on their way."
"That's great." Yoru replied wryly, "They can pick up the prowler I just put into a coma."
"Prow…you mean-oh dear." Keiko mumbled, coloring faintly.
"Must we always jump to conclusions?" Yoru sighed before turning to glare at Yusuke, "And will you put me down?"
"Will you give Keiko the bat?" he retorted.
"And get her prints all over it?" Yoru shot back.
"…just drop it next to that guy." Yususke ground out exasperatedly, indicating the unconscious burglar with his toe.
Sometime later, Shishiwakamaru returned back to the Yukimura's with a pair of scantilly clad ganguro...only to be greeted by the flashing red and blue lights of the police and an ambulance next door.
"What the hell happened when I was gone?" he muttered as he led the onna inside.
(A/N: Yoru visits her brother in the hospital. Touya returns to normal...but all is still not kosher in the Yu Yu world. To fin dout what happens, R&R!)
(P.S: Your Authoress needs a steady diet of reviews to stay alive. PLEASE FEED AND WATER YOUR AUTHORESS!)