Author's Note: Hey guys new chapter finally. I'm so sorry for the wait but finals rolled around an to make things worse due to some massive stupidity on my part the story was deleted so I had to re-write this whole chapter. I have to say that it is different from the original version but I think its better overall. Thanks for being so patient you guys please review after the read and with any luck I'll have the next chapter up soon. Also big thanks to Heve-chan, TooBishiForYou, Kagome and Wolvesrain to the supportive comments and thanks so much to everyone who added this story to their favorites or put it on their watch list I really appreciate it.
I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters.
One Body Beckoning Another
Terryal awoke with a start once more, her whole body drenched in a cold sweat as though she had just gotten out of a half frozen river. Her normally half-lidded yellow eyes were wide and shaky looking around the room this way and that as if expecting a killer to round a corner at any moment. She saw the sun pressing relentlessly against the window shades in a desperate attempt to shine into the room but the bright morning sun brought no comfort to her. The demon girl had been stricken with another horrifying nightmare that brought her mind back to the disgusting sights she had bore witness to on the night of her home's slaughter. Since the psychic abandoned her homeland she had found only small amounts of solace during her waking hours through the interesting sights of the human world but at night she was plagued with visions of a gruesome massacre. Terryal, feeling lonely now that the psychic cords that bound her and her family together were now severed, curled her legs to her chest, buried her face in her knees and choked back tears.
"Creator…why have you brought this torture upon me?" she thought helplessly as tears squeezed themselves through her sealed eyes.
It was another thirty minutes before Terryal was willing to pry herself away from the futon on the floor of the room that belonged to Kuwabara's sister. Who had been introduced to Terryal as Shizuru. When the chocolate colored psychic wondered out into the small living/dining area that connected to the even smaller kitchen she found Shizuru pouring herself a mug of what smelled like the same bitter drink that the demon had dubbed unfavorable the previous day. Terryal could not sense the presence of Kuwabara anywhere; she realized he had probably already left for school which was causing her a bit of distress. Though he was not considered by her to be desirable company it was infinitely better than being left with someone she hadn't officially met yet. Shizuru, hearing the light footsteps padding across the floor, looked up from her coffee mug to the demon and there was an awkward silence between the two. The droopy-eyed woman pointed towards the coffee maker and gave the considerably shorter female a questioning look seeing as her mouth had an lit cigarette in it preventing actual communication. Terryal wrinkled her nose at the gesture reminding Shizuru of a child who was being forced to eat broccoli. She smirked at her juvenile roommate and pulled the cigarette from her mouth.
"Terry, right?" Shizuru drawled as smoke spewed from her mouth like a hazy waterfall.
"Terryal…" the demon mumbled her correction while looking very uncomfortable in the oversized oxford shirt she was wearing.
"Riiight. Sorry I'm shitty with names. Sleep ok?" She asked as she proceeded to take another drag of her cigarette while moving away from the countertop.
Terryal lied and nodded.
"Cool, Botan will be here later to take you out shopping for clothes and stuff. I gotta leave in a few for work so it'll be just you two. Oh and Kazuma said that you shouldn't freak out cause they got Shorty on guard duty right now." She summarized while pointing out the window.
Terryal assumed "Shorty" meant Hiei and nodded as she took the information in, though she was only half paying attention because she was still in a terrified haze from the nightmare she had just relived.
"Hey, space cadet." Shizuru drawled while knocking her fist gently on the demon's noggin as she passed, "Imma get dressed for work, in the mean time you should get cleaned up before Botan shows up."
"Terryal come on! You can't stop at every window you see!" Botan called but she was far from angry.
After Terryal left the shower Botan had arrived with some of her clothes for the demon to borrow, a magenta plaid blouse with rolled three-quarter sleeves, a pair of khaki Bermuda shorts and flip flops to be precise. However, both were too long and tight for Terryal's considerably shorter and rounder frame but it fit well enough for the time being. Botan had also brought a gift courtesy of Koenma the Reikai Prince: a pair of white earring studs that turned blue once they had absorbed some of the psychic's demon energy. Botan had explained that they would slowly emit the energy they absorbed to cover up her various tattoos and rather large ears in order to make her appear human without the demon having to enter the minds of thousands of humans at once. When the surprisingly childish demon was ready the two left, with Hiei's presence stalking them from unknown places and Botan was learning that girl could be quite a handful. Terryal had stopped to look through the window into nearly every shop that had caught her eye, from restaurants, cafés and bakeries to clothing stores, gyms, and dance studios. Particularly dance studios and this time was no exception.
When the reaper wandered over to see what was distracting the female this time she found the yellow eyes of her companion gazing at a couple inside with a strong sense of longing emanating from her. Her cheeks were bright red as she watched the two tango and it was easy to see that the ebony haired girl wished with all hear heart to be the girl in there.
"He is cute isn't he?" Botan giggled as she bumped her hip against her partner's which actually ended up being her ribs due to the height difference.
"It is not the appearance of the male which has caught my attention it is the dance. At Home we danced with those we were betrothed to by Fate and seeing this pair reminds me of such events. The way the bodies intertwine and move as though one body is beckoning the other and willing it to move as well, the synchronism of it all is moving. This vision is the trademark of true lovers and I pray that the Creator blesses me with someone who invokes motion such as this in me, in mind and body." She explained; her voice was its usual drawl but with a slightly romantic undertone sneaking through.
"When you put it like that it makes me want to take up dancing…" Botan muttered wistfully as though she was imagining a passionate waltz with her future prince charming.
Terryal looked up at the swooning reaper and her lips twitched upwards a bit in a short-lived smile. The first one brought upon by anything other than the wonders of the new world and she was somewhat glad Botan didn't see it. As the two continued their path Terryal resumed her wise and contemplating facial expression but it wavered a couple of times when her blue-haired partner would ask the psychic about her culture. As the girl's drowsy looking yellow eyes watched the cement ground she answered the reaper's questions explaining how every child born a hundred years prior to the mating event would take part in The New Life Festival. An affair where a bonfire is formed and the children of the century participate in a ceremonial dance to find their destined partner.
"So everyone is destined for one person in your village?" Botan inquired her pink eyes luminous with curiosity.
"This is somewhat of a fallacy. Some youths such as myself are not meant to create new life with one from Home. The Creator and Fate decided that I would find my other half elsewhere and with an "Other"." Explained the demon sounding disappointed; her already lowered upper eyelid seemed to droop even farther as she eyed her own toes through Botan's flip flops.
"How do you know when you've found "The One" though?" asked the reaper, little did the two girls know, somewhere out of sight Hiei was scoffing at the words spewing from Terryal's lips.
"Our right arms portray the traits of our partner but it is also half of a puzzle, should one intertwine their right arm with that of their betrothed then Fate will harmonize and the puzzle shall be complete."
"Ah. Y'know Terry it doesn't look like you don't look like you're a hundred years old." Botan mentioned while attempting to sound polite as possible. She was clearly referring to the girl's underdeveloped breasts and more rounded features.
Terryal perked up at the sound of the name that Shizuru had used earlier that morning, she found herself unsure of what to make of the change in name but decided to let it slide and see if the action continued.
"The Creator has bestowed upon me the gift of hundred and forty seven years in this life and I will have gained one more this October. My people have been known to age quite strangely even more so in comparison to you humans; my body is that of a human aged fourteen years due to the structure of my upbringing my mind is of age thirty and I shall not be fully matured until my five-hundredth year." Terryal enlightened, her voice was casual as if it was something normal and un-impressive.
Botan chuckled a little bit remembering the many times Terryal gazed in childlike wonder at the buildings and people around her and thought that this demon was probably way younger than thirty in mentality. However she let the comment go un-judged as the duo had finally arrived at their destination, the local mall. Terryal's attitude hadn't changed; once entering the building she fixed her yellow orbs to the massive ceiling with large windows allowing the nearly noon sun to shine in warming the metal and glass that held the structure together. It was truly something phenomenal to the backwoods demon girl, shops upon shops of brick-a-brack ran the length and height of this superior structure and Terryal found herself almost wishing she had been born a human.
Botan dragged the girl from one store to the next and each time they left with at least one bag the bronzed teen had to commend her reaper companion. She clearly had a knack for this sort of thing, she knew the best stores with the best sales and seemed to know exactly what would and wouldn't fit.
"It comes from years of practice. Plus I know someone who's about your size." Botan clarified when her vertically challenged companion asked where her skills had come from.
However what was more impressive then Botan's talent for shopping was her patience with her demon in tow. The girl didn't understand the fashion of the human world; the girls here seemed quite keen on making themselves uncomfortable in layers upon layers of tight and binding fabrics while Terryal only desired something flowing, lightweight, and comfortable. Being born in a tribal style village a woman walking around showing a lot of skin wasn't that uncommon but the reaper insisted that it wasn't something she could not do in public. What confused her even greater still were the human undergarments, the bottoms were easy enough but the tops were purely impossible to understand.
Using both numbers and letters to describe themselves Terryal found herself confused as to not only what size she needed, but what styles were appropriate to which Botan explained that every girl needed at least a one bra in black, white, nude, and strapless but after that the colors didn't matter; though she did insist on matching them with the purchased bottoms. They probably spent the at least one hour in the underwear section of a shop alone; Botan, attempting to explain the measurements of the bras and Terryal, trying desperately to understand. It was eventually discovered that the psychic was about 36 rib cage with a B cup size which Terryal came to understand was a pitiful letter size for breasts as many of the offered garments wanted nothing more to boost them up to the point of disguising them as a mid C size. The girl refused the inflatable ones explaining to her much taller shopping mentor that she was "more than capable of swimming without help" and did not understand "why women's undergarments would be equipped with life preserving properties."
Around three thirty the girls left the mall heading for the train station, Botan had mentioned early in their trip that she wanted to see an old friend and decided to drag Terryal and their purchases along for the ride. The psychic was skeptical about the massive contraption described as a "bullet train" but she felt a little more at ease when she caught a glimpse of Hiei entering the car behind them in an effort to keep a safe but still observable distance from the girls. The reaper and the demon sat themselves on a bench in front of a window and as Terryal watched the country side glide passed them she pondered away at many things, one being her present company.
"Why has Hiei chosen to avoid us this day? He is our escort so I believe manners describe this behavior as unacceptable. Should he not be conversing with us?" inquired the girl without taking her glimmering eyes off the city that was slowly but surely being swallowed up by trees and countryside.
"Oh…yes that" Botan muttered while chuckling nervously, "You see Hiei isn't really the sociable type."
"Is he of a cruel nature?"
Hiei's ears perked up, he had overheard the start of the conversation but chose to ignore it thinking it would end there but now he was curious as to how the bubbly female would respond.
"Uh….." Botan began clearly unsure of how to react,
"Well yes and no. He's….kind of like Yusuke!" She exclaimed, having reached a plausible comparison, "He's strong and violent but only when he feels it's necessary."
"When is it necessary to commit acts of violence?" Terryal countered leaving Botan stuck as to how she should proceed.
In the next car over Hiei scoffed at what he considered to be a great leap of ignorance on Terryal's part. Violence, to him, was something that was necessary throughout most of his life. It was necessary to survive, to become stronger, to protect others, and to make changes happen. Obviously the earth could not survive without it and to think otherwise was truly naïve.
"Well…It was because of the boys' violence that you were saved from slavery. And you weren't the first person they fought to save. I understand how you were raised but there are bigger and more dangerous things in the world then I think you realize and sometimes talking doesn't solve problems. It takes courage and actions." Botan murmured, here usually sparkling eyes were dull and serious as she recalled the various missions Yusuke had braved for the greater good of humanity.
"But violence is not how the Creator wishes us to confront life. We must be open and willing to the changes that occur not angry and close minded, one must learn to accept the plan that is in store instead of attempting to fight against it." Terryal countered.
"You're an ungrateful, spoiled brat." Hiei insulted.
He had made his way to the car that Terryal and Botan resided in during the time the train was stopped to allow passengers to leave and board. Because of the train's current location very few people were on the train and no one was in the same car as the two apparitions and the reaper. Terryal turned away from the window and stared wide eyed at the boy in front of her, the mere tone in his voice caused her heart to ache. The apparition had never experienced such cruelty in just the sound of a being's voice and she hoped that after this incident she would never experience it again.
"You may be older than me but you still act like a child. Peace in an unattainable thing and to believe otherwise is sheer ignorance. You're so ungrateful all you see is the means not the actions. What does it matter how we saved you the point is we did and you're alive and so are thousands of others because of our actions. Remember that." Hiei finished, his crimson orbs bore down on her, both of them filled with a wild disdain for the girl before him.
He tore is gaze from the yellow eyes of the psychic proclaiming that he could no longer stand to look at her and marched stiffly to the opposite side of the car and waited, completely still, by the door for the next stop. At the next stop he disembarked and so did the two girls, Botan was patting Terryal sympathetically on the back. The girl had said nothing since Hiei's outburst and had spent the remainder of the ride twiddling her thumbs and fiddling with the bags containing their earlier purchases. Hiei walked in silence ahead of the two ladies, his shoulders were squared and stiff giving him an angry and brooding stature. Terryal took a deep breath and marched forward to walk closer but still slightly behind the fire apparition, Botan had held out her hand to stop her but the girl ignored the action all together.
"Hiei…" She began timidly her half-lidded eyes staring at the side of the man's face.
He did not respond but he also did not deny her any further words so she chose to continue.
"I prey you will forgive me for the words I spoke on the train. It is true that I have been ungrateful for the blessing of your arrival and the positive affect it has had on my life and for having that childish outburst I am truly sorry. However, I regret to say that I still do not understand nor to I entirely agree with your method of choice for resolving problems but I hope to learn much in my stay here. I hope that in time I will come to understand and hopefully agree with you more fully to prevent further animosities between us. I do not desire to be on ill terms with you as you have done so much for me." The girl's voice was soft and even with a sort of deepness that was found in the voice of someone old or wise.
Hiei felt as though he were listening to Kurama talk as their tones were similar, calm with a deep undertone of someone who understood a lot. It brought a sort of comfort to Hiei's body that he refused to show, his structure remained solid as rock. He gave no key as to whether or not he even heard to the girl until he stopped on the trail, causing the party to come to a halt. He turned to the psychic once more and Terryal felt her knees wobble for a brief moment; she didn't realize that she had been walking so close to the fire demon and when he stopped so abruptly it didn't give her a chance to back away. It was still a comfortable distance for most people but way closer then Terryal had wanted to get to the stranger.
It occurred to her now that he really as a fine specimen of a man, his eyes were captivating and angled in a way that was slightly feminine but the strength behind his stare was all masculine. His clear pale skin, the angles of his cheekbones and chin all pointed to a man who was walking the perfectly thin line between masculinity and femininity, unlike his fellow teammates who were either too far one way or the other. Though when Terryal remembered the faces of her saviors she realized they were all handsome in their own ways but seeing Hiei this close instantly sealed her choice for favorite physically. The man was like rare tiger; the perfect reflection of absolute beauty but under it was a raw, pulsing power that was both terrifying and exhilarating. He was the perfect bad boy.
"I accept he apology but that doesn't mean I dislike you any less." His response was short and simple.
His warm voice rumbled across her skin and despite his emotionless tone Terryal couldn't help but smile a full and completely genuine smile. She giggled a bit as she did so and nodded, satisfied with her response and Hiei was shocked though he hid in under a confused and annoyed stare. He noticed that, while her voice was deep and mature, her laugh was young and light like twinkling bells and her smile brought a light and youth to her face and eyes that usually only showed when she was in awe over the various human world attractions. He shook of the thought and continued down the dirt road that was winding its way through the thick forest. Terryal followed shortly behind and Botan took up the rear with her jaw dropped in utter astonishment. Not only and Hiei accepted her apology but despite his rudeness he and pulled a genuine smile from their forlorn beauty just easily as he had pulled silent tears from her on the train. As though his voice was beckoning the emotions from the girl and that's when a thought struck the young reaper.
"…as though one body is beckoning the other and willing it to move as well… I pray that the Creator blesses me with someone who invokes motion such as this in me. In mind and body."
Botan recalled the words Terryal had spoken hours before as she watched the two very short demons tread the path in front of them. She knew it might be a long shot but she could easily confirm the idea, all she had to do was find out what that tattoos said on Terryal's right arm.
The trio, after climbing a huge flight of stairs, stood side by side at an even larger traditional Japanese style temple. It was a vision of peace and serenity to the shortest girl there, the trees and wildlife sang a wonderful choir that reminded the girl of the place she left behind.
"It calls memories of home" she murmured to no one in particular.
Hiei glanced at her and made a sort of "Hn" sound in response while shoving his hands in his pockets. As he walked past the psychic towards the temple she got a faint whiff of a woody scent like ash after a bonfire and the cool breeze of a winter breeze through snow covered pine trees. She smiled involuntarily and her body relaxed while her mind was attempting to ring bells that she couldn't hear. The reaction did not go unnoticed by the tallest female but she kept her mouth shut as her long legs stretched across the length of the front yard leading up to front steps of the temple and the elderly woman sitting on them. Hiei nodded a greeting to the woman before vanishing inside but the girls, however, stopped for a verbal one.
"Hello Genkai!" Botan cheered, "You look well."
"You know better than to lie to an old woman like that." She scoffed with a smirk before taking a sip of what smelled like tea. She turned her sharp eyes to the girl who was only slightly taller than herself. "And you're the psychic I've heard about."
Terryal jumped slightly at being addressed directly. Her mind had been wondering as she gazed around the temple grounds and hadn't expected anyone to say anything to her. She bowed deeply towards the eldest of the three females and mumbled a quick apology
"Terryal is my given name it is a gift to meet you on this day. Your estate is most glorious and it is a privilege to be allowed to see it." Spouted the demon, her tone was polite but quick as if she were attempting to make up for the delayed response.
Botan and Genkai had a small laugh at the girl's expense but elder of the two waved her hand and made it clear that such over-politeness wasn't required around her.
"While you're at it you can take off that silly disguise too. There's no one around for miles so there's no worry of being seen."
Terryal nodded and removed the earrings as well as a pair of cotton balls she had stuffed in her ears to dull the busy sounds of the city and Botan's over-active voice. She flexed her ears which caused them to poke out under her mountain of fluffy hair and turned the visible bits of her arms around to ensure her tattoos had indeed returned. Genkai looked the girl up and down once but her face showed no interest or surprise.
"clearly her eyes have fallen upon more fearsome beasts then I" Terryal thought as the old woman stood and motioned them to come inside.
"I told Yukina you'd be coming so she made some more tea."
"Oh goody Yukina's still here!" Botan cheered causing Terryal to question whether she should've taken the cotton balls out of her ears.
"She said she'd grown some attached to the human world and now that the barrier is down there's nothing preventing her from staying. Not to mention the idiot promised to help her find that twin brother of hers." Genkai said while winking a mischievous eye towards the reaper.
Terryal was clearly out of the loop but she couldn't say she minded. They entered what seemed to be the dining area and Genkai took her seat on the cushion at the head of the table while Terryal followed Botan to the length of the table. Botan took the cushion on the older woman's right leaving psychic female to choose the seat next to the reaper she was beginning to grow attached to. It was merely a few moments before the sliding door opened again causing tan apparition to ponder the point of closing it in the first place. A young girl no taller than Terryal entered the room, her hair was sea foam green and her round and innocent red eyes peered out from under her fluffy bangs. Her hair was pulled back by a red ribbon in a low braid and she wore a breezy floral patterned summer dress; she was an overall adorable sight. She floated delicately into the room handing out glasses of tea to the two new guests before taking one herself and setting a remainder on the table.
"Yukina you look so cute!" exclaimed the reaper as she took a half stand to wrap the newly arrived apparition in a hug before she could take a seat.
"It's good to see you too Botan," Yukina replied in a small voice as she took the seat at Genkai's left, "Is Hiei not here? I thought I sensed him earlier…" she murmured as she eyed the extra cup of tea with a distant sadness in her eyes.
"He's here somewhere." Genkai reassured the girl while reaching for the extra cup herself as though saying "No sense in letting good tea go to waste" the gesture brought a smile to the girl's face.
"You must be Terryal." Yukina said her face was relaxed and friendly; she reached a hand across the table to the psychic who accepted it without a second thought.
The action had surprised Botan because even though the ebony-haired girl was clearly becoming used to the growing attempts at friendship made by the reaper, she still shied away from most physical contact, however, while faced with Yukina there was no hesitation. Even the apparition in question thought it odd as she pulled her hand out of Yukina's strangely cool one she wondered what could've caused the reaction. She couldn't place it but there was a certain level of innocence in Yukina's features that caused Terryal to feel at home around her.
"You know you and Yukina are in the same boat." Botan began earning her a questioning look from the psychic after which she continued, "She was the last search and rescue mission the boys went on."
Terryal looked up at the innocent girl in front of her and felt great pity for her, "Such purity shouldn't have been mishandled." She thought.
"Would it be cruel of me to inquire what danger you faced before the detectives came to your rescue?" Terryal's half lidded eyes revealed nothing save for a light glow of curiosity.
"No its fine but Botan tells the story better." Yukina replied her face kind as she smiled at the tallest woman in the room signaling her to start.
"Sure! Well let's see…it was Yusuke's third mission…" And thus the story began; she described sneaking into Tarukane's estate and the demons they had to pass. She went into great detail of every battle describing the opponents' appearances and just how well Yusuke and Kuwabara did against them all. She described the cruel and heartlessness of Tarukane, how he tortured the girl for her tears a bet money on the idea that the boys would die before they ever reached her. Lastly she portrayed the events of the final battle with the Toguros and how the boys had used their cunning to defeat the brothers and save Yukina.
"After Yusuke and Kuwabara took down the younger Toguro Hiei burst in upstairs and nearly killed Tarukane, well, he probably would've if Kurama hadn't been there to stop him. After that it was all's well that ends well and Yukina was safely returned to demon world. Of course later we realized that the whole thing was a ruse and that the Toguros weren't dead at all but that's a whole different story entirely." Botan finished dramatically, her pink eyes glittering with the memory of the event.
Terryal spent a large portion of the story covering her mouth and now her face had turned quite pale. Though Botan didn't go extensively into the bloody details she did explain enough that made the violence-phobic and highly sheltered psychic uncomfortable. The others asked if she was ok to which the chocolate-skinned demon responded that she was but did inquire as to where the bathroom was located. She excused herself from the table and Yukina rounded on Botan.
"I think you overdid it. I'm not sure if she'll be hungry after that."
"That girl is the most pitiful demon I've ever seen." Genkai muttered, mostly to herself but she did chuckle a bit at the image of a high level demon fainting in front of blood.
"She'll be fine. Hurry we need to get in our places; I hope the boys are ready." Botan whispered excitedly as the three stood from their positions and snuck out the room quickly and quietly.
Terryal stared at her now drenched face in the mirror, her skin tone had returned to normal and an even greater joy was she did not have to vomit before that would happen. Though she did splash her face with cold water for safe measure and ran some of it through her onyx hair, pushing it back to allow her to gaze at the other swirling tattoos that danced across her forehead. In the center was an eye that somewhat resembled the Egyptian eye of Ra though it could be easily overlooked and seen as a different shape entirely because the swoops and designs never truly touched or combined. She traced the tattoos along her forehead and the ones on her cheeks just under the eyes that looked like straight lines of tears sliding down her face and stopping before they ever reached the chin. After a few more moments willing some of the lines to make sense to her she realized it was a fruitless effort and fluffed her hair back out over her forehead and made her way out of the bathroom to the dining room to find…that no one was there.
Yellow eyes widened and jumped around the room, Terryal could feel anxiety creeping up the back of her neck.
"Surely, Creator, you do not intend to send me into the captivity of another so soon?" she thought.
After taking a few breaths to calm herself down she reached out with her mind to search for any signs of the girls' ki, even Hiei's would do so long as she found herself with someone she knew who was alive. She felt Botan's energy signal somewhere toward the back of the house and followed it through the creepy hallways and the sliding doors to the backyard which overlooked more lush forest. There were orange paper lanterns strung up around the grounds but no people were in sight. Terryal took her first step out on the back porch and nearly leapt back inside when a small horde of people jumped from behind trees and other objects shouting a loud and hearty "SURPRISE!"