R&R please!
Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter One of this fanfiction.
Chapter Eight: Coworkers Versus Consumers
Training was cancelled for the next day. Everyone was exhausted by recent events, especially the girls. Reijin was quiet, so Takara made sure to check up on her frequently, though she doubted she would find her missing any time soon. Day faded into night and without incident, people retired to their rooms for the night.
Or so the caretakers thought.
One would expect that anyone who went through the day they did would plan on nothing further for the night. But leave it to Takara to formulate something different. Her worry now completely subsided, she called Cayenne, Meriel, Yukina, and Botan into Reijin's room for a little girls' night in.
"Okay everyone! Time to brainstorm! It's been forever and a day since our last sleepover, so what exactly do we do?" she poised the question toward everyone present.
"Ooh! Let's start with pizza! All great sleepovers start with pizza," Botan exclaimed immediately.
"Great! How do we get it?" Reijin asked.
"I can call Hisano." Botan took out her communicator.
"Who… Oh! Isn't that the other girl who brought us here?" Cayenne asked the ferry.
"Yes! I'm sure she won't mind joining us and we'll get her to pick up our things while she's out; so if you want something, ask for it now or forever hold your peace."
No sooner had she said this, did Yukina chime, "We need balloons!"
This set the wheels in motion. Something about balloons just seemed dastardly and the girls hurriedly comprised their list. Hisano would call them back once she reached the shopping district which gave them about twenty minutes. After that, all they had to do was figure out a way to sneak Hisano in without alerting the boys. Genkai was more likely to let them make their own mistakes, and seeing as they did not have training the next day it truly did not matter what they did. They just had to be secretive. That was a sleepover rule. They chose the window nearest to Genkai's room and furthest from everyone else's for the entry point.
Since Reijin's "great escape", some sort of barrier spell was set up around the mansion at nights. The girls were also under frequent surveillance in the daytime now. The workings of the spell were not deeply explained to them, and for good reason. They did, however, explain them to Botan and Yukina who, after taking several vows from the girls, told them what it was all about.
It specifically registered everyone in the household's spirit energies, all save for the four wanting passage (five, counting Hisano), so when another entity attempted to leave or enter, it was safely relocated. The flaw in this system though, was that if a registered person's spirit energy was detected, it must be let through. That being the case, it was a simple matter for Botan to transfer a small portion of her energy to each of the girls to make escape possible. It was not that the rest of the house's occupants had not thought of this, it was that they did not think that someone (Botan in particular) would actually break this rule and let the girls out. Then again, they did not count on the feminine factor and how that played in the complex lives of girls (long live the sisterhood!).
And so, they were freed upon an unsuspecting city. Although Botan offered them rides on her oar to where Hisano was waiting, Cayenne had different plans. She told them to wait in a strangely familiar location, and within the next few minutes she returned with a very demolished, yet still functional, blue convertible. Both Reijin and Meriel went into hysterics and Takara asked what was up.
"This is it! This is the car Hiei stole for Dairy Queen!" Meriel exclaimed.
The rest of them joined in the laughter but soon hushed up when they realized how loud they were being. There would be time for this once they were off the property. Cayenne eased the piece of junk away from their home and, once a reasonable distance away, gunned it. They made it through midnight traffic in Tokyo at a surprising speed with Cayenne at the wheel. This actually had to do with her newfound powers. As quick as a cat, she could anticipate the troubling traffic before it could trouble her.
Once she stated this, they all inevitably came to a revelation that should have vexed them from the start…
"Oh my…what in the WORLD will people SAY when they see us like THIS?!" Takara yelled.
Cayenne was now in the parking lot at one of the many malls in the area. The girls were nearly in a panic before Reijin finally said that she had a plan. She got out of the car and the others followed suit, unsure of themselves. As they walked towards the building, they were about to pass a group of teenagers who were already pointing and staring.
"Um," one younger girl began and the group stiffened, "what exactly are you people supposed to be?"
"We're cosplayers! We just came from our con for some DDR without a line," Reijin told her.
Quick thinking! The entire group was relieved as they passed by the rest of the people without incident. That was their excuse for any other curious bystanders as they made their way towards the arcade.
"You know we can't use that excuse forever," Meriel stated.
The group gave a few nods and understanding sighs but did not bring it up again.
Tiaret, now human-sized and looking like nothing more than a normal ten year old, went versus Takara first round. Takara was playing Heavy mode like nothing before and Tiaret was struggling along with Light, though neither failed and both repeatedly scored 'A's. Talli took over the Para Para Paradise machine with Meriel. Cayenne and Michon attacked Soul Caliber and the last pair, Reijin and Pink, was showing off their skills at something involving a spork and a microwave. That was oddly enough going on behind the counter. One thing led to another and they were making a run from the mall cops five minutes later. Apparently, the arcade owner did not appreciate their help with dinner.
They took refuge in the food court. All was going well until, who other should walk into that particular area than Yusuke and Kuwabara! Cursing their luck and wondering what in the world those two should be doing out of the mansion at that hour (they were not required to sneak out after all) they ducked behind the first unmanned food outlet. It happened to be a McDonald's. It also happened to be where the duo came to order their late night snack.
Quick thinking landed the shortest person (Michon) in a uniform two sizes too big with an oversized hat that well hid her hair and face. No sooner did she make it to the counter did Yusuke slap it obnoxiously to gain attention.
"Hey! What's a guy have to do to get some service around here?"
"Ah, another night, another imbecile looking for a heart attack," Michon replied sarcastically in a deepened voice, "what would you like, sir?"
She kept him busy with standard cashier vs. customer banter while Reijin, Pink, Takara, Tiaret, and Meriel made their ways out of the mall. They slipped past the far end of the counter from the duo before Yusuke, in a violent burst of inspiration, stormed the McDonalds.
And then, in a violent retaliation to save their hides, Cayenne turned on all the nozzles on the ice cream machine and aimed them directly at him before he could take more than two steps into their hiding place. That was the beginning of the mall war. Those left behind caught on and grabbed any ammo they could and not-so-discreetly hurled it at the duo. The manager tried his best to stop them, really, until they sprayed him too. Then they made another "great escape" and left Yusuke and Kuwabara to deal with the growing angry mob in the food court—filled with upset children, screaming teenagers, and obese people wanting the ice cream kindly removed from their burgers and jumbo fries.
When the mischievous part of the group came up the getaway car laughing hysterically, those who previously escaped were suspicious but waited until they were out of the immediate area to question their antics. After a complete recap, Takara had nearly swerved them into a mailbox for the fifth time while she was clutching her gut and the steering wheel from laughing so hard.
"That serves them just right!" She finally managed to yell over the screaming pedestrians in her way.
"At least we know we won't run into them again anytime soon," Reijin agreed and then added, "that poor manager will make them clean for hours until…hm…would that be ours or their mess?"
"Theirs," Botan told them, "we escaped. Thankfully Yukina used her ice powers to turn the temperature of the ice cream on the floor to subzero; they won't be getting out of there until…I'd say late morning!" she laughed.
"It was an accident!" Yukina said defiantly, "He acted so brashly, it was all I could think of."
"Yeah, right, so you say," Michon replied, "either way, good job."
After they stopped at one of the many Dollar Trees and obtained party supplies, they continued on their merry way back to the mansion.
Unfortunately for them, they were not alone. And unfortunately still, a trap was waiting for them; it was not as kind as the trap they had Yusuke and Kuwabara in either. Oh, severe luck for one of the strange girls. In an inspired moment of hyperactivity, Takara abandoned the wheel and demanded to be put in the trunk, for fear of future illegal activity between their current point and their home.
He was waiting. The enemy has made the first move.
Takara shifted in the mostly empty space. It was hard to maneuver and at one time or another she pushed or kicked an unknown object or two left behind by the previous owner of the vehicle. During a traffic jam, in which the group commenced in the traditional hollering and cursing, no one noticed when Takara's own curses became screams for help.
Something clutched at her ankle. It was small and wiry, but breathing. It was moving too, rapidly up her leg it went until it neared her face. Its small fingers grasped her face and needlelike fingernails poked at her flesh. Seemingly all at once, feelings of lightheadedness and pain descended upon her. Was it possible for the darkness of the trunk to become even blacker? To her it was. Her senses faded and when she moved she did not feel. The little monster that attacked her was taking over.
Immensely confused, she tried to gasp for air; oxygen seemed too thin in her current state. Then, her body beckoned to be let out of the trunk. She knew that this would take a while; her friends would have to get out of traffic and pull into a parking lot first. She took this time to rationalize. It was very hard to concentrate. She tried to remember things that had happened that earlier that night; she tried to gain her sense of self back. An encouraging image of the security guards calling for backup in the mall sparked her sense of humor. One step closer to control, she assessed her options. The being was in complete control of everything except her mind. Well, I can start by not freaking out. Once I'm free, I'll need to be in total control for whatever happens next
The being escaped the trunk. It requested to drive and began to take the back roads. It was very hard for Takara to stay in a meditative state as she vaguely heard her friends ask where "she" was taking them, and also heard "her" smug response, "You'll see when we arrive."
Of course they won't suspect a thing! Takara groaned inwardly. They just think I'm taking them somewhere fun! Never mind the old roads that thing is taking, that just makes it seem cooler. If she could have used her mouth to pout, she would have. Finally, the being pulled up at an abandoned baseball field. It was wide and very few houses were near it. If Takara's jaw could have dropped she would have screamed and pitched hell. This place was not even five miles wide of the temple! So this is where the enemy's been hiding…DAMN! How did we miss this? Mental note, come back here later. She paid attention as the being surveyed the area. This place actually is pretty cool. Our enemy has good taste.
"Follow me out here," her voice told them.
Then, she realized as her eyes focused on a place in the distance, that her friends were walking right into an ambush. Why, oh why did we have to sneak out tonight?? There were three people, presumably demons, waiting for them. They were in a triangle formation, two at their sides and one dead ahead. When they were in reasonable range, the being stopped and faced the group. It smiled. Its next words were said in a painfully slow manner for Takara.
"You've been ambushed."
The being fled her body as the demons rushed them. As Takara's senses returned, she had a feeling of overwhelming sensation that numbed her and sent her to her knees. This did not last long and she just as quickly stood back up and countered one of the demons. Botan screamed and she and Meriel both took whacks at another demon. The last one however, was not reacted to fast enough and both Reijin and Cayenne were slashed. They fell to the ground somewhat injured, but not badly. The sprites took evasive measures and went about spreading their magic defensively around the group. Luckily, they could not be easily reached or caught, and their powers were strong.
However, instead of staying with the group, Takara took off after the being that had tricked her so easily. She left them with a simple message as she escaped.
"I'm sorry! Survive! I'll be back!"
The demon she previously blocked came at her again, but Yukina made a useful assist and froze the ground under him. He slipped up (literally) and failed to capture Takara who was soon out of sight and gone into the woods surrounding them.
The being's small, bony structure made it insanely easy for it to maneuver, luckily, the recreation of Haunting Ground was finally coming in useful. She locked onto its energy like they were taught to for the "plate keys." She lost track of it once or twice, miraculously not more so. If anyone else had gone after the creature, they wouldn't have been half as successful. Not only was Takara the most adept at locking onto her targets, her element was Earth in a forest—who could ask for a better coincidence? Although the creature was foxy and dodged around from obscure place to place, it eventually decided that it had lost her and continued into another field that was densely surrounded by brush.
Takara could not be stealthy getting into this particular place and cursed her now failing luck as she finally barreled through the last of the brambles blocking her path. She couldn't have been expecting to see a certain peculiar scene.
There stood their infamous enemy ringleader. He did not give off a ferocious aura to Takara…instead it seemed calm, almost like a troubled sea. The man, Raika, had the being perched on his raised left arm. It nibbled at his leather glove and slowly worked its way to his regal suit. He seemed not only important to their mission, but to the demon society also, as well dressed as he was. Eventually he managed to dig a small morsel from his pocket and fed the creature that went on its way soon afterward. He was unconcerned with Takara up until that point, and she did not mind. Although she was strongly compelled to give him a good chewing out, she was gratefully using the time to catch her breath from the running the creature had given her. Then, he faced her and she straightened up. Looking him dead in the eyes, she commenced the chewing out.
"Well? Aren't you going to say something? I've caught you!" After a silence she continued, "You're after us for our powers aren't you? I thought you'd at least have the decency to fight us head on instead of this underhanded maneuver! But of course…ha, how could I have forgotten? Your profile screamed secrecy, so this should have been expected. My idiocy aside, what have you got to say to me now? Speak! Give me something! A motive! Some witty banter! Something I can use to yell at you more, you fiend!"
After her semi-dramatic speech (the tension was dying when she hesitated in the beginning), he took a quick glance around, as if to check for someone, presumably my friends. Then, in a cold, hardened voice he threw her dialogue away with a sentence.
"Do you…like this place?"
"What kind of bull…?"
"Where we are…this place…these fields…do you like them?"
As soon as the words faded from the air the sound of slicing grasses was heard. His head cocked to the side and a rift in the dimension appeared to his right. Before Takara could respond or otherwise curse he was gone and Reijin appeared in the clearing followed by Cayenne. She turned to them and sighed.
"Look, I refuse to answer any blabbering questions until we're finally…finally at the mansion and I've had at least three slices of pizza. Hey…where's Meriel?"
They laughed off her question and Cayenne simply gave, "Oh, you'll see."
When they finally wound their ways back to the baseball field Takara fell into fits of laughter. The sight she came upon played out a little like this: The four sprites had erected two shields, one to keep in the demons and another to keep out the local pedestrians. Inside the triangle shield Meriel had the demons bouncing on three separate geysers as Yukina tossed frozen ice balls for Botan to hit with her oar at the poor attackers turned victims. Eventually Yukina froze the geysers and the girls took them into custody.
Now…how to hide them until morning?
Random bursts of inspiration are great :D R&R!