A/N: It's really sad when you yell at Microsoft Word because it has bad grammar. Yes, I am that weird: I yell at computers and correct their English.
O/C3: Misaki meets a man named Ike, one of the fighters in the tournament. The Banquet begins. Misaki moves around trying to find out whatever she can. Hiei sits at the bar, and is soon joined by Genkai, Kuwabara, Yusuke and then Misaki. But Misaki goes back into the crowd, meeting up with Soren, another member of Ike's team. She leaves him...
--
Misaki tried to make her way back to the bar. It was as if the population of the room had quadrupled.
"They could have given us a bigger room." She mumbled.
"Ah! Tayl! Ike did not speak of your beauty!"
She cringed, but kept plunging through the crowd, acting as though she didn't hear him.
"Hark, fair young maiden," someone caught her arm, "Wither thou goest?"
"If you don't let go of me I will blast you into oblivion so fast you won't know you're there until after you see the white light." Being called 'fair maiden' was just a little more than Misaki could handle.
Nicolai let go of her arm in surprise of her retort. Misaki took the opportunity to plunge back through the people, putting a good bit of distance between him and her.
"It seems you must hurry on your way," The ivory-haired man called after her, wisely choosing not to take pursuit, "We shall meet again."
Misaki breathed a sigh of relief. At least Ike seemed a decent person. The impression that she received from Soren's mind when he spoke of Nicolai was that of a womanizer. It was easier to get away from him than she had thought but she knew it wasn't the last she had seen of him. Misaki turned to the left, running right into someone.
She looked up, thankful that she had only run into one person the whole night. The banquet was entirely too packed for her tastes. Though she had to admit it did make it easier to not be found.
The man had long blonde, straight hair that cascaded down his back and his dark eyes immediately made Misaki think of a hawk, piercing through all disguise as he peered down at her.
"You seem familiar young one...Have we met?"
He was the second person in less than two minutes to refer to her age. "Why does everyone think they're so much older than me?! I completely outdate them!" She was about to tell the newcomer off when a wave of dizziness hit her. She swayed and felt a strong hand hold her up.
"What is wrong? Are you alright?" his deep voice asked, his expression changing rapidly from inquisitive to concerned.
"I...I'll be fine..." Which wasn't true at the moment. Her vision began to pull in and she fought the darkness. She thought maybe it was the strain of keeping everyone's mind's covered plus making sure they didn't flicker back into their normal form...but she wasn't sure.
"There is a table nearby, would you like to sit down?"
Misaki grabbed the tensed forearm of the hand holding her as he started to move them towards it.
"No...wait..."
He stood good-naturedly, waiting for the moment to pass.
"Thank you." Misaki's eyes began to clear and she looked up at the tower of steadiness she was grasping.
She could see that his emotions were well-hidden, his face appearing flat and unconcerned with the world around him. Misaki caught the distress as it disappeared, replaced with a hint of a relieved smile.
"No problem." He slowly released her, watching to make sure she was truly fine.
Misaki also let go and stood straighter, though it seemed that lately no matter how tall she stood, she was constantly shorter than those around her. She thought ruefully of Ike, Soren and Nicolai.
"Might I know the name of my stronghold?" She smiled genuinely.
The smile she saw before played at his lips as he opened his mouth to answer.
"Dartanianne! There you are!" Another man, almost identical to the first, came up and clapped him on one of his broad shoulders.
At first glance, Misaki thought she was seeing double, but upon a closer inspection, she realized the second was more slender than Dartanianne. They both had the same flowing blond hair and white robes trimmed with intricate gold embroidery but this new man was a lighter in both fame and voice—of course that wasn't hard, Dartanianne was well-built.
"Who is this?" the man noticed Misaki for the first time, "Dartanianne, picking up the ladies now are we?"
Misaki noticed the annoyance flit over Dartanianne's face but he said nothing, deciding to leave the situation.
"Please excuse my compatriot's attitude. He's the strong silent type, quiet and mysterious. I, on the other hand, am an open book." The look he gave her and the suggestiveness of his words immediately made Misaki want to reach up and scalp his blonde hair from his head.
"I never judge a book by its cover, but I think I can make an exception with you." Misaki remarked primly.
"You embody a dangerous combination for a woman." He flashed his pearly whites.
"A statement you should think upon in all seriousness." This guy was quickly wearing on Misaki's nerves. Not just his personality but the fact that he and Dartanianne seemed so familiar to her but she couldn't place them.
A slight breeze moved the air and Misaki saw the white wings that came from his back.
Suddenly, she remembered. This man was dangerous, despite all appearances. But she couldn't just run away. It wasn't that simple...adding to the fact that there were a good many people surrounding them, not allowing for a quick escape.
His gaze grew more scrutinizing, "Have we met before? You are oh so familiar to me. Tell me...what is your name?"
Misaki was compelled to tell him who she was. "T...Tayl." She managed to say.
"Tayl...hm. That doesn't ring a bell." He shrugged, "I am Facelle." He studied her again.
Misaki had a hard time keeping her face neutral. Just being around him nearly forced a person to tell him everything he wished to know. His hand stroked her arm but she couldn't even flinch away.
He came closer, fingers moving to her cheek, her gaze locking with his own.
When he noticed her eye color, his gently masked smile turned into one of triumph.
"My eyes! My hair is different but my eyes are the same!" She thought frantically.
"Your name isn't Tayl. Tell me what it really is," he purred seductively, his velvety voice almost smoothing a true response from her. He went on. "But I think I already know. It's Misaki isn't it?" His lips whispered the words into her ear.
She was rooted to the ground, held by something ancient in its own right, a race whose powers dated back thousands of years. Misaki knew that his appearance was only a mask, much like hers. She fought to move, to do something, but to no avail. She was trapped. Her mouth opened even as she struggled to close it, not quite hearing the voice call out to her, as if it came from far away.
Facelle's face became chiseled with anger at being distracted but he didn't dare strike out, not yet, not in this room with all of the people around.
"There you are. I was afraid I had lost you for good." Part of a red braid brushed her face as Kurama turned to excuse them from Facelle.
"Thank you for keeping her company. There is such a large crowd and I wasn't sure where she had been swept off to. Please excuse us."
Visibly reluctant to loose such a fine prize, Facelle nodded, letting this prey go freely.
Kurama steered Misaki away and as the distance from Facelle increased, his hold on her decreased.
"Misaki, what's the matter?" She heard Hiei's question brush her mind. Even across the room, through their connection he had noticed the change in her somehow.
"I'm fine." She pulled away from the link, reducing it to a mere wisp in her mind. If he continued questioning her, she couldn't hear it.
Misaki didn't say anything out loud, allowing herself to be taken in whichever direction Kurama led.
"He had some sort of control over you." Kurama said.
She nodded, noticing they had stopped in a corner which, surprisingly, no one had claimed.
"Do you need something to drink?" He put a hand under her chin and tipped her face up so that it would look at his. He was frowning at her.
"N...no...thanks. Just stand there, would you?" The effect of Facelle still hung in the air around her.
Kurama could see she was shaken up so when she rested her ear on his chest, he merely held her.
Misaki closed her eyes, finding the strange beat of his youkai heart and immediately becoming calm.
"Excuse me, miss."
Misaki heaved a sigh before pulling away to see who it was. Kurama continued to hover next to her, his worry radiating from him.
"Yes?"
"I was told to give you this message." It was a nondescript youkai holding out a slip of paper to her.
"Thank you." She took it to read.
"Not at all, miss." The youkai turned and left.
Misaki groaned.
"What's wrong?" He scanned the note.
"Baka people in charge need to see me. I gotta go."
"Alright. Be safe."
She gave him a faint smile before leaving.
Kurama got lost in thought for a moment. Who was the man and how could he hold such a power over anyone? He was obviously a combatant and while he was sure to prove a worthy opponent, Kurama was uneasy.
By the time he was ready to move away, several someones blocked his path.
"Where are you off to?"
"Why not stick around for a while?"
A lot of females had come out of nowhere and he was surrounded, back to the corner. He sighed, knowing that as always he would have to wait them out. He hoped it wouldn't take too long.
--
"Baka youkai with the baka note and the baka people in charge with their baka brackets." Misaki took a deep breath. She was heading back to the corner where she'd left Kurama. She had a cynical feeling that he was still there, though probably against his will.
She cleared part of the crowd and smiled at seeing Kurama trapped in the corner. He deserved it really. It was his fault for looking so good. Misaki knew that the tramps keeping him there wouldn't leave easily. There was one thing that might make them go away. Misaki's smile turned a little evil.
There was a small space between a couple of them and Misaki slipped through. Kurama looked strikingly similar to an all-to-serene mouse cornered by a group of alley cats who had found their next meal.
"There is no way!"
"I am so serious! Not even kidding!"
"I don't believe it."
All of the females were talking at once about something or other.
None of them were completely up to Kurama, there was a small radius around him and Misaki stepped right in front of him.
They all stopped talking, staring at the impudent woman who would dare get that close to him.
Misaki kissed him.
She could feel the anger, jealousy, and indignation seethe from all of the other women. Breaking it off and seeing Kurama's expression, Misaki tried not to laugh at the females petty feelings. She dropped her grin and turned her head to cast a possessive look at the group who understood it all to well.
Misaki felt Kurama put an arm around her, using the other hand to turn her face back towards him. Those who had gathered tensed up, as if one move would seal their fates.
He kissed her back.
This time it lasted longer and when they came apart, there was no one around.
"Smooth." He breathed into her ear.
"I try."
"Thanks."
"I never thought a Kurama wouldn't be able to handle the ladies."
"Heh." He drew back and Misaki tilted her head, listening to something.
"Come on. They'll be closing down soon and I'd prefer to leave before there is a rush." She grabbed Kurama's hand and pulled him after her.
"What did the tournament want?"
The room was so noisy that Misaki just shook her head, "I'll tell you later."
They arrived at the bar without further incident. Yusuke, Kuwabara and Genkai weren't there anymore but Hiei sat in the same seat. There were two girls on either side of him and Misaki recognized them as two of those who had been around Kurama minutes before. Misaki wondered how they managed to home in on Hiei so fast.
"Seems like I'm not the only one."
"Be nice." Misaki murmured, walked forward.
Kurama stayed where he was, watching Misaki walk up behind Hiei. She tapped his shoulder and Kurama caught a fleeting look of knowing he was rescued pass over the fire youkai's face as he stood up.
The girls were aware of where they had seen Misaki before and they let Hiei go without protest.
Hiei thanked her shortly within their link but Misaki could feel his relief.
He followed her back to Kurama and they all three made their way to the elevator they used before.
--
The elevator opened and the trio stepped out onto their floor, beginning to walk back to the room.
"So we don't have to fight tomorrow in round one because we're one of the four seeded teams. Yusuke, Genkai and Kuwabara's fight is the last one of the day." Misaki summed up the conversation, "I plan on leaving early to watch all of the competition for the day." She added.
"How early does the tournament start?" Kurama wanted to know.
"The first matches are at five a.m. One of those will determine who we fight tomorrow."
"Matches?"
"There will be more than one match going on at a time. This is a fairly good-sized tournament. The arena will be divided into four so that all four brackets can fight at the same time."
"And it always starts early in the morning." He finished.
Misaki shrugged, "You never know what can happen. It'll probably last all day."
They came to the room and Misaki opened the door. The lights were out as they filed in and Misaki flipped the switch.
Kuwabara and Yusuke were sprawled out on the floor halfway to their bedroom door. Genkai, now reverted to her normal self, sat waiting on the couch, rising when they entered.
"What did you do to them, Genkai?" Misaki asked accusingly.
"I did nothing. They can't hold youkai liquor. I'll admit it's potent stuff, but even I can take more than two drinks and I'm old." She brushed past them for the door. "Oh and nice lock on the door. I almost couldn't beak it. Goodnight." She shut the door behind her.
Misaki grumbled something inaudible, "I'm using your bathroom to change. And do something about them, will you?" She stepped over Kuwabara and headed towards Kurama and Hiei's room.
"Hn. I say leave them there. Bakas." Hiei went into their room as well.
Kurama sighed.
--
"Hiei, I'm coming out."
"Hn."
Misaki opened the door.
Hiei sat in the window sill, looking out. He must have been in the middle of changing. While he wore his usual pants, the button up shirt of the suit was open and untucked.
Misaki shook her head as she walked out. "Goodnight Hiei."
He didn't answer.
"Goodnight Hiei!" She said again, louder.
"'Night." He grunted.
Misaki rolled her eyes as she shut the door behind her. Kurama had managed to get the humans coherent enough to stumble into their room so Misaki met Kurama as she shut the door. She opened it again, letting him pass and they exchanged a smile before Misaki closed the door again.
She grabbed a blanket from under the couch and moved all of the pillows except one to the opposite end.
Misaki could tell that Yusuke and Kuwabara were knocked out. She curled up underneath the blanket on the other end of the couch were the pillows weren't.
Knowing sleep wouldn't come to her, and yet still taxed—the dizziness had managed that—Misaki took all of her weariness and forced it onto the youkai.
They both fought against it though Kurama gave in as his head hit the pillow. Hiei put up more of a fight but he couldn't keep his eyes open, falling asleep in the window sill.
Satisfied, Misaki snuggled down to wait for morning.
--
Yeah yeah. I know...but everything that happens has to happen because other things happen later. Was that confusing or was that confusing? Given the choices...probably confusing, no?
The name 'Dartanianne' is pronounced 'Dar-TAN-yun'. I have no idea why I'm putting pronunciations on here. I just really like the name so I guess I like to put how it's supposed to sound. Ike and Soren are based off of their respective counterparts on Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance but anyone who's actually played the game will find that they are in fact quite different from those characters, being only similar in appearance.
-lotsm