Part 5: A Done Deal
"You're getting too close, Kurama." Hiei stated as the two of them stood on the back porch, Kurama leaning over the banister and Hiei standing with his hands in his pockets.
"She's needs a friend Hiei. She's had a hard time."
"Yes, a friend." Hiei emphasized the word friend, scoffing, "But nothing more, fox."
"Are you insinuating that I might fall for Reiko?" Kurama asked, particularly amused.
"I'm just telling you to be careful; she's not something you want to get carried away with."
"You talk about her as if she were an object." Kurama chuckled and Hiei only rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Hiei, I have no intentions other than friendship with Reiko."
Hiei looked at Kurama. He knew Kurama meant what he said but he was still going to watch the girl. He didn't trust her and he had every right not to. There was definitely something wrong about her.
"Reiko!" Kurama called from the bottom of the stairs, "Lunch is ready!"
A few minutes later Reiko came down the stairs and trudged into the kitchen/dining room. There was a round table in the middle of the room with six chairs stationed around it, Yusuke, Kurama and Botan occupying three of them. A small variety of sandwiches and chips were set out in the center of the table, more than half already dished out.
"Hello!" Botan chirped, greeting Reiko with a raised hand. Reiko just looked at her oddly before taking a seat next to Kurama and putting a sandwich and some chips on her plate. It was creepily quiet as they each ate slowly, or in Yusuke's case, not so slowly. Reiko, growing impatient decided to raise a question.
"So…where's Keiko?" she asked. Yusuke suddenly stopped eating, as if he were frozen. He calmly set down his food, stood up and left. Reiko double blinked. 'What the heck?' she thought, confused.
"Oh dear." Botan sighed.
"Keiko isn't going to be staying here. She told Yusuke so this morning." Kurama stated. Reiko paused, just looking at Kurama for a while.
"Great," she groaned sarcastically, "I haven't even been here for a day and I've already screwed up." She stood up from her seat and walked out.
"Reiko, wait!" Botan called, standing up and going after her. Halfway up the stairs she grabbed her by the arm. "You don't have to feel bad! There's no way you could've known about Keiko! I'm sure Yusuke understands that."
"What does it matter?" Reiko said with her head lowered, "I don't fit it in with you guys and I'm not going to!" she snapped, yanking her arm away. "If you just leave me alone this'll be much easier on us all." She ran up and into her room, closing the door behind her. She laid her head back and closed her eyes.
'I need to get out of here…'
"Reiko?" Yusuke rapped on her door, Botan behind him, "Hey, I'm not mad at you. I know-" he looked back at Botan and she nodded. "Just…will you open the door so we can talk?" he waited a while and he and Botan looked each other when they got no reply. "Reiko?" Yusuke called again, this time opening the door. "Damnit," Yusuke cursed when they saw that the room was empty.
Reiko bent over with her hands on her knees, breathing deeply. 'I never should've stopped running. But what's a girl gonna do? I'm out of high school.' she managed a smirk but it soon faded due to trailing memories.
"They're looking for you." Hiei said from a nearby tree branch. Reiko looked up.
"Yeah, so?" she sneered.
"You're not going to get much further."
"Watch me." She huffed, taking off into a dead sprint. She had only taken two strides when she smacked into something, causing her to fly back and hit the ground. She let out a painful groan as she sat up, rubbing her forehead.
"I told you."
Reiko glared over at him before looking to see what had caused her to fly back. A confused expression appeared on her face when she saw nothing but the forest around her. "What the hell?" she muttered.
"Oh thank goodness!" Botan exclaimed as she flew up to Reiko on her oar. She jumped off, dematerializing it. "We were afraid you might've run into Koenma's barrier!" she paused, looking at Reiko oddly. "What are you doing on the ground?" Reiko looked at her as if she were stupid.
'No one can be that dense,' Reiko thought, Yusuke running up to them at that moment. Seeing Reiko sprawled out on the ground he reached his hand out to her.
"You alright?" he asked. She opened her mouth about to reply with a snarky comment but stopped herself.
'After what I said earlier, the least I can do is to be nice to him.' she thought, sighing and taking his hand. He pulled her up to her feet and she brushed the dirt off her jeans.
"Thanks." Reiko said to Yusuke, "And…I'm sorry about earlier."
"Don't worry about it." Yusuke grinned, "From now on we'll be friends, deal?" he stuck his hand out, intending for her to shake it. Reiko hesitated, staring at his hand. She smiled a small smile and shook his hand.
"Deal." She confirmed.
"Then let's head back." He said, jabbing his thumb in the direction of the house. "We can hang out like normal people do."
"That sounds fantastic." Botan chirped.
"Yeah, sounds good to me." Reiko agreed.
They turned around and started to walk their way back to the house. Reiko turned to look behind her at the tree Hiei had been in. It was empty now. She wasn't sure when he left but it must've been when Botan had arrived. She decided she'd have to watch out for him; she had a weird feeling about him and her feelings always turned out to be right. She looked back ahead, staring at Yusuke's back as he followed behind Botan on her oar.
'What the hell,' she thought, 'It couldn't hurt.'
Reiko smiled awkwardly as she watched Kurama fail horribly against Yusuke at some racing game. Yusuke shot his arm up in the air as the TV flashed 'WINNER' on his side of the screen.
"Yes!" he shouted. Botan leaned over on the couch and spoke only loud enough for Reiko to hear.
"Yusuke really gets into it doesn't he?"
"Yeah," Reiko agreed, "And Kurama looks clueless." She added. She wouldn't admit it openly but she was actually enjoying herself. She kind of liked Yusuke and the gang; with the exception of Hiei. He came off as an arrogant ass; a quality she absolutely loathed. She looked over at the window sill, having heard Hiei scoff. She raised an eyebrow at him.
'The hell-?' she thought.
"Hey, Reiko," Kurama said, distracting her from her thoughts, "Would you like to play? I'm going to get us some snacks." He held the controller out to her as he stood up.
"Oh, um, I'm not really-" she stuttered as Kurama put the controller in her hands, "O-okay then."
"I'll be right back." He said and left.
"Don't worry," Yusuke said, turning around to look at her from his position in front of the couch. "I'll go easy on you."
THREE MINUTES LATER
Reiko sat still, the controller resting in her hands. "Yusuke!" Botan exclaimed, "You said you would go easy on her."
"What? Oh…um…" he rubbed the back of his head, "Sorry Reiko, I just got carried away."
"It's alright. I'm not very good in the first place." She admitted, "I'm more of an artsy person."
"Really?" Kurama said as he came in with a tray of sodas and chips and dip, setting it on the table. "What do you do?" Reiko looked up at him a bit surprised.
"Well, I like to draw." She said, "But I don't think I'm very good."
"Don't sell yourself out just yet." Kurama told her, "You should show us something sometime."
"Maybe." She smiled unsurely. A loud beeping came from Botan's pocket and they all turned to see. She pulled out the compact from her pocket and opened it. Koenma, in his toddler form, was on the screen.
"Botan! Are Yusuke and Kurama around?"
"Yes, they're right here." She said and immediately the two boys appeared on the screen behind Botan.
"Good. Yusuke, Kurama, something has breeched the barrier on the north side. I need you two to go and check it out! Botan and Hiei, I want you two to stay with Reiko. Got it?"
"Yes sir!" Botan nodded along with Kurama and Yusuke.
"Than get on it!" Botan closed the compact and put in back in her pocket. She looked to Yusuke and Kurama who were already on their way to the door. "Be careful you two!"
"Don't worry about us, Botan." Yusuke said, waving her off as he and Kurama left. It became awful quiet without Yusuke and Kurama, and honestly a bit creepy. Reiko sat in the corner of the couch, legs criss-crossed in front of her. She felt something bad in her gut, something telling her to be careful. She didn't feel the least bit safe with Kurama and Yusuke gone. She knew something was going to happen but highly doubted if she told Botan or Hiei that they would believe her. She sighed, pulling her knees up to where she could wrap her arms around them.
It was so quiet as they sat there doing nothing. The feeling in Reiko's stomach was starting to get worse. Were Yusuke and Kurama okay? She started to wonder. Hiei opened his eyes and stood up, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword. Botan and Reiko looked over at him as he scanned the room with his eyes.
"Hiei? What is it?" Botan asked but got no reply as the fire demon continued to keep his pose.
"Is there something-" Reiko started to say.
"Hush woman." Hiei snapped, alarming Reiko. He waited a while longer before relaxing his hand on his hilt, assuming he was just feeling things.
"Geez, Hiei." Botan sighed. "You had us worried for a moment there." Reiko turned to look at Botan and her eyes widened. "What?" Botan turned her head but as soon as she got a look at it she was thrown into the nearest wall with a high pitched scream. Before Hiei could react it was already standing in front of Reiko.
Reiko stood frozen stiff, horrified as her eyes locked onto its beady black pupils. It looked like nothing more than a shadowy figure but was just as intimidating as any other repulsive demon. She tried to move but something deep within her refused to let her have control. She wanted to scream but it was relentless.
"Damnit!" Hiei cursed, unsheathing his sword as the demon placed its ghastly hand above Reiko's heart. Her eyes dilated into small white orbs as a searing pain struck every one of her nerves.
A piercing scream echoed through the trees, causing Kurama and Yusuke to snap their heads in its direction. "Reiko." Kurama said under his breath before he and Yusuke bolted back toward the house.
The atmosphere around Reiko pulsed, her hair lifting off her shoulders for a split second and her body tingling. She gasped, her lungs suddenly contracting and every muscle in her body tightening. She couldn't breathe. The demon's shadowy hand crawled up to her face and held her by the jaw. Something in Reiko's mouth began to glow, a force fighting back in fear of being swallowed whole. In that moment Hiei's sword came down on the demon's arm. It let out a shriek, its arm withering away like smoke. Reiko drew in a deep breath, her eyes returning to their normal color. She shuddered, swaying back and forth a bit before falling to the ground, struggling just to keep her eyes open. The demon let out a deep growl before lunging itself at Hiei. Hiei's sword went up but the shadows flowed around it attacking him.
"Damnit!" Hiei cursed with grit teeth holding his arm up to his face as he was knocked to the ground. He pushed against the demon, dropping his sword on the floor. He glared at the pair of eyes appearing before his face. "Are you that hungry you filth?" he snarled, red fire growing in his right hand off to the side. The back door was thrust open as Kurama and Yusuke rushed in. They halted at the sight of Hiei sprawled on the floor with a demon hovering above him, Reiko laying lifelessly a few feet away from them and Botan struggling to sit up from across the room.
"Then eat this!!" Hiei growled, jabbing his fist into the demon. It shrieked, backing away from Hiei in pain as it was being consumed by the fire. Hiei stood up, grabbing his sword. He twirled it before throwing it at the demon as Kurama ran over to Botan and Yusuke to Reiko. The demon disappeared before it could be hit and Hiei's sword stabbed into the wall. Kurama helped Botan up and walked her over toward Yusuke and Reiko, her arm slung over his shoulders. Yusuke had lifted Reiko into his lap and started to shake her lightly.
"Reiko?" he tapped her cheek, "Reiko, are you alright? Can you hear me?" he waited a few seconds but got no response, "Damnit," he cursed, "We need to contact-" he started to say as Botan's compact started to beep. She slowly got it out of her pocket with her free hand and opened it. Koenma was on the screen.
"Botan, Kurama! Is everyone alright?!" he asked, in his toddler form.
Kurama shook his head, "No. Botan and Reiko are injured."
"She won't wake up, Koenma." Botan added. Before Koenma could respond a few groans came from Reiko. They all looked over at her as she began stirring in Yusuke's lap. "What? What's going on?!" Koenma asked.
"Reiko, can you hear me? Talk to me." Yusuke urged. Her face was scrunched up in pain and she clenched her hands tight.
"It…hurts…" she groaned.
"What hurts, Reiko?" Yusuke asked, pulling her up a bit more on his lap.
"I'm sending a portal," Koenma stated, "I'll have the Medic Wing ready for you!" Kurama only nodded as the screen went blank and Botan closed the compact. Hiei grabbed his sword and yanked it out of the wall, putting it back in the sheath on his hip.
"Reiko?" Yusuke shook her again. She let out a whimper, turning her head to the side away from him.
"…Stop…" she whined, "It…hurts…" Yusuke stopped; he let her lay still as they waited for the portal. It didn't take long before one appeared and Yusuke stood, picking up Reiko bridal style. Immediately he walked in with her. Kurama walked Botan over to the portal but stopped before they went in.
"Are you going to come with us?" he asked Hiei.
"Hn." Was all the fire demon said in response.
"Alright. I don't know when we'll be back-" Kurama started to say.
"Just go fox." Hiei interrupted. Kurama paused before stepping into the portal with Botan hanging onto his shoulder.
By the time Kurama had appeared with Botan Reiko was already being rolled away on a stretcher. They had arrived in the medical wing. A pair of male demons walked up to them and took Botan out of Kurama's arms and walked her down the hall.
"How's Botan?" Yusuke asked. Kurama turned around to his friend and smiled weakly.
"I think she'll be alright. She wasn't hurt too bad." Kurama replied. Yusuke only nodded.
"Yusuke, Kurama." Koenma said from behind them and they turned. "You'll be able to check in on the girls in an hour or two. Until then-" he paused with raised eyebrows, "Where's Hiei?"
"He didn't want to come." Kurama answered.
"What? He needs to be here." Koenma insisted, "He was the one who fought the demon! I need his perspective!" Koenma sucked fervently on his pacifier, arms crossed. "I'll have to send for him. You two can follow me back to my office." Both boys nodded, following the small toddler.
"Wake up Reiko. It's time to wake up…Don't you wanna see them…" a girl's voice laughed, "Iknow you want to see them…Kill them Reiko…You want to kill them ..." she giggled again. It was dark in Reiko's mind. Dark and lonely. They girl stopped humming and giggled uncontrollably. "You really think they wanna be your friends?" she laughed again, "You're wro-ong!" she said in a sing-songy voice. "They only want your power Reiko! You're special, so very special. And they want it all to themselves. That's why Koenma's locked them up! He's going to steal them!" Blood red eyes flashed in Reiko's mind with an evil grin. It was then that she realized who the girl was…
Reiko's scream echoed down the halls and a few demons rushed in to see what was wrong. She clutched her head in agony, thrashing her body about. "Get out!!" she yelled, "Get out of my head!!" tears spilled from her now blood red eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "Leave me alone!!" she sobbed as the medic aids struggled to restrain her on the bed. The pain was intolerable; a dark force was burrowing itself in her mind, she could feel it. She continued to scream and tug against the strength of the medics. They managed to bind her down with belts but she still fought against them, screaming out the same words over and over. Things like 'Get out!' and 'Leave me alone!' A nurse readied a needle as an aid held Reiko's left arm secure. With one push the needle was in her arm and then out. It took only a matter of seconds before Reiko's body began to settle down. Her eyes returned to their normal color and fluttered till they closed shut. She was asleep.
"Someone go and inform Lord Koenma." The nurse commanded and a demon nodded before running out of the room. The nurse looked down at Reiko and sighed.
"So it was a shadow demon." Koenma sighed, folding his hands as he sat at his desk, all three boys before him. "A lower ghoul for sure. Hard to kill but not very powerful."
"If that was all you needed, why didn't you ask the woman?" Hiei frowned, unhappy that he was forced to be there.
"Because-" Koenma began as his door was thrust open, a demon tumbling inside.
"Lord Koenma! Something has happened!" he panted as Koenma stood up from his seat, eyes widened. "The girl…the human…she…" he paused, breathing.
"Well what is it?!" Koenma snapped.
"She…Started screaming and flailing about but five minutes ago. She was shouting things over and over again and her eyes were blood red!" Koenma and the boys were silent.
"What was she saying?" Koenma asked.
"Um…" he thought for a moment, "Get out…and…Leave me alone." He replied. "She was holding onto her head when we found her." Koenma fell back into his chair, lost for words.
"I want someone in that room at all times." He paused, "Make it three people. I'll get someone to come in and do an analysis when I can." The demon nodded, bowing before he left. It was deathly quiet. Koenma sighed, leaning forward. "She is not well. There's something going on within her and she is not stable." He said, more toward Hiei. "There's no way I could've-"
"I know." Hiei interrupted, "I get it."
"Koenma, do you mind if we check on Botan?" Kurama asked.
"It's fine with me." He answered before turning back to Hiei, "I don't want you leaving just yet. In fact, I want you to stand outside Reiko's door, just in case." Hiei made no reply, he only walked out of the office.
"I'm going to check on Reiko too." Yusuke insisted. Koenma made no disagreement, but nodded.
"I'll send for the analyst and also send a group to scope out and watch the Safe House in case anyone tries to break in again." Yusuke and Kurama nodded before leaving Koenma to his work.
"I'm fine guys, really I am." Botan smiled with her hands up in defense. She sat on a bed, Yusuke and Kurama standing in front of her as she sat with her legs over the edge. "So…how's Reiko?" she asked.
"…We…don't really know." Yusuke replied.
"She had a fit a while ago. Koenma sent for an analyst so he should be here by now." Kurama added.
"Is it really that bad?" Botan gasped.
"We're going to see her after we visit you." Kurama informed her. Botan was silent as she stood up.
"I'm going with you." She stated.
"I'm not sure you should." Kurama replied.
"Oh hush. I'm fine, Kurama." She looked over at Yusuke, "Aren't you going to say something?" she asked, hands on her hips. Yusuke only shrugged. "Alirghty then! Let's go say hello!" she smiled, clapping her hands together.
.::Chapter End::.