Chapter Four:
Taken
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KuramaEnzanBlues
Animegirl1994
Anoni-Cat
Scurryfunger
Polar Light
Sillylittlenothing
Rain chant
Marie Antonia
Disclaimer: All shows/ books/ video games/ songs that are mentioned in this chapter are all © to their respective owners, I don't own them.
Note: Ack, I totally apologize for the huge gap in updates, I've been rather busy with other projects, college, and work!
Also, for those who are relatively new to Lupin's appearance, this is the same Lupin from Crash, another of my stories (ah, yes, shameless self-promotion, ha!). For those who wish to see her somewhat less-than-obscure-starts, I'd suggest going there. :3
To Marie Antonia, holy crap, I'm sorry, I didn't notice the mistake! XD I feel terrible, really, I do! It's fixed here now, though! Thanks for point it out for me. :3
Thanks to all my awesome readers! I really appreciate you sticking with me! 8D
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It's been a big day, what with theabduction, and all.
- Simon, "Firefly"
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She was pacing by the time she had finished her rambling, nonsensical story. The cat she had saved, how it had talked, the cats from the other night, the tiger, the tabby, the Cat Demon King…
It had sputtered into nonsense at the end and she had to stop at last, hugging herself. She hadn't looked at him fully in the face the whole time she spoke, afraid to see skepticism in his eyes, a look of ridicule on his face, until at last she couldn't stand it anymore and snatched a glance at Shuiichi. The expression on his face surprised her. It was a calculating gaze, similar to the ones she'd see on his face when he was working on his homework, but…more intense. Almost dangerously so.
Then she noticed his eyes, which weren't just the vivid emerald green like she'd always thought. Instead, they seemed to have darkened along with his expression, something deeper than what she was used to.
Lauren swallowed thickly at this realization, feeling pinned under his gaze until she finally forced herself to look away. "Do you…do you believe me?"
Her question was so quiet, barely audible. She dreaded the answer, even if she knew she had to ask anyways, but Shuiichi was still studying her, and she shivered under that inscrutable gaze of his. He stood at last, and crossed the distance between them. His long strides carried him quickly over and then he was at her side, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he smiled genuinely at her, although with a tinge of inexplicable sadness.
"There are…many things in this world that are not…normal. And there are people who encounter these things, not on a daily basis, but close enough to count. You happened to have crossed paths with one of those unusual things, Lauren."
He motioned for her to sit and she complied, albeit nervously. He sat beside her and sighed, almost too quietly for her to even hear.
"What you came across really are demons, Lauren. They come from the Makai, or Demon World, and these particular demons…they've hidden themselves even from other demons. Only cat demons and their kin are allowed into their kingdom, and perhaps those who have been given…extended invitations." He nodded to her and she knit her brows in confusion. He wasn't serious, was he? She wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh and call him insane or bolt for her room, lock the door, and curl up under her bed covers.
Lacking the ability to think of such things on the spur of the moment, Lauren settled for gaping at him in near speechless disbelief. A problem that soon remedied itself, however when she finally said, "Demons…are real?"
He hesitated before nodding. "Yes…they are. There are many demons, and while most are…malignant, there are few that are more courteous towards humans, friendly even. I know a few myself."
She mentally stumbled through uncertain memories, and Yusuke and Kuwabara came to mind, conversations taking a decidedly darker tint in light of this revelation. "Are…the two guys you were out with the other day…are they demons?"
He shook his head. "No…Kuwabara is human, but his spiritual awareness is above average than most humans. He's quite aware of the Demon World, as is Yusuke. Yusuke himself is not technically a demon, but he has demon ancestry in his blood."
As Lauren tried wrapping her head around this mind-boggling information, she was almost tempted to compliment him on such a well-executed prank in a last ditch attempt to right her suddenly tilted view of reality. His serious face, however, said otherwise. He'd always had a good poker face, though…maybe it was still possible for some Japanese game show host to pop out of nowhere and tell her that she'd been duped or something?
However, nothing happened, and slowly, she began to accept the impossible truth. But with this acceptance came an entirely new problem, one that left her shivering in fear at the implications.
"Are…are you…a demon?"
Innocently worded as the question was, Shuiichi seemed thrown off for a few seconds and he hesitated, that same calculating gaze making her more nervous than Lauren could stand. Which, really, was all the answer she needed.
Lauren lowered her gaze to her hands in her lap. "If that…was the case…" She looked back up, feeling very awkward for asking. "Why would you want to come here? I mean…if you are a demon…not that I'm saying you are, of course, even if you may very well be…then shouldn't you live in the Demon World?"
He was quiet for a long time, as if trying to find the right words to use in this situation. Lauren waited, but gradually began to regret her decision to tell him this in the first place, shifting uncomfortably in her seat before muttering, "You don't have to answer…just, please forget I asked."
"No, no…it's…it's all right. My answer is that it's…complicated. And it is a story for another time, I'm afraid. Right now, we have to worry about keeping you safe. I'll call Yusuke and Kuwabara to come over." He gave her a reassuring smile and reached over, covering his hand over hers and squeezed. "We will keep you safe, Lauren, I promise."
Somehow, those simple words seemed to quell her uneasiness.
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She could see them all inside the apartment, watching a flickering TV together. Yusuke egging Kuwabara on. Lauren sitting quietly on the couch. Kurama paying a delivery man for pizza. Meanwhile Lupin grinned, crouching on a tree branch outside the apartment complex for the dorm students, her tail swaying behind her as she appreciated the bird's eye view she now had of the area. Learning reconnaissance with the Wreckers paid off quite remarkably. There was tension in the air, she picked up. The air still smelt of cat tails, as another thing she noticed. Something she vaguely remembered what Shuiichi had told her about earlier.
"What in the seven hells are you doing here, wolf?"
"Well, well, well, it's good to see you too, Hiei!" She chirruped back cheerfully.
"Don't you have brood to take care of back home?"
Lupin gave him a quick, amused glance. Ah, Hiei. Always the sour puss, she mused. He narrowed his red eyes at her, and they almost seemed to gleam in the coming twilight hour.
"Allen's there right now. And he knows that I'm on a job right now."
"Does Koenma know you're invading his territory?"
The underlying words were clear enough and Lupin bobbed her head a little, cupped in her hand as she answered, "Sure, we'll say that." She nodded towards the interior of the little dorm. "You know about the situation, then?"
"Why else would I be here?" He snorted at the werewolf.
Lupin shrugged. "Just checking. So. Information, might you have, perchance?"
"Stop speaking like an idiot."
She chuckled, catching a glance of him once more. "Information. Do you have any?"
He leaned against the trunk, eyes narrowed at her before focusing towards the apartment. The leaves were thick and plenty, covering them up just enough while still giving them the perfect vantage of the young adults gathered below. It would be unfortunate indeed to have such a good position given away.
"Cat demons are after her. Kurama has given me enough information from what he's gleaned from the girl…after you made sure she talked with him."
"You're welcome," she chanted in a sing-song voice, a silly grin on her face.
"I never thanked you."
"You will."
He simply gave her "the glare". The one where he obviously wished he could set her ablaze with the willpower of his eyes alone, or at least melted her brain in the process of doing so. He finally settled for, "Unlikely."
"Quite staring at me like that, or I'm going to have smoke coming out of my ears any second now. I like these ears, very fuzzy."
"It would be an improvement."
Before she could get another word out, he was gone in a quick wink of an eye, a black blur to her eye. Lupin chuckled once more, head cocked to the side as she left her free hand to fiddle with the spherical items at her waist. She closed her eyes with a sigh.
"Good luck, Lauren, you'll need it…"
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Night had finally come, the sky outside dark and foreboding. Despite the attempts to eat the food Shuiichi had ordered, or watch the comedy flick Kuwabara had brought, or enjoy the raucous commentary Yusuke was making, Lauren couldn't settle down. She felt as if someone was constantly watching her, waiting for the opportune moment or something to that effect. Before she had felt somewhat at ease, but in due time that nagging feeling came over her again, and the young woman was on edge once more.
She knew the others were nervous as well. That this whole thing was a ruse of sorts, and the time was being watched carefully. They were on edge, ready to spring at the sudden change in the wind if that's what it took.
She wasn't sure what to expect. Would the cats just line up in a parade like they'd done the other night? Or would they simply appear like they had earlier that day with the tiger and house cats?
With any luck, neither of those options would come to pass. Lauren could only hope that they would realize what she'd really said and leave her alone.
At a quiet lull in the movie, her cell phone rang from the next room and she jumped. Bolting up to get it, she quickly pressed a hand to her chest, breathing deeply to slow her heartbeat and smiling apologetically, excused herself to get it. She was trying not to notice the curious looks they directed her way. I forgot how loud it was…I wonder who it is. Probably Mom…
Her room was dark, but the light of her phone was enough to go by. She saw who it was and smiled a little. Her mother, of course. She had picked it up, thumb at the ready to press the answer button when she noticed something from the corner of her eye. Something shifting, and she turned in time to see a black, hovering thing in front of her, with green, lantern bright eyes shining straight into hers. It took her another second to realize that the black shadow thing was a cat's face, melded into the shadows as if it had come from the darkness itself. It's body so sleek and streamlined that she wasn't sure it was even fur so much as skin akin to something rubbery like a dolphin's. The cat opened its mouth in a grin and at the same time a cry of alarm leapt to her lips, cruelly cut off by the shadow cat's paws.
Her phone fell from her shaking hand as she reacted on instinct, a deep-rooted drive to survive in full gear as her heart pounded so loud in her chest she thought it would burst. Her room disappeared, and she was suddenly engulfed in swirling darkness, the roar of rushing air nearly drowning out the shouts, yells, and calls of her name. A hand suddenly grabbed her and the darkness, just for a moment, disappeared and she was looking at the ceiling of her room. She caught a glimpse of a face.
"Kuwabara?"
"Hang on, we'll get you out! Let her go!" He yelled, and she heard the sounds of the others, a crash of glass from somewhere, a snarl of some beast that sent chills up and down her spine. But Kuwabara was pulling her back towards the hallway, with hands hooked under her armpits with one arm snaked around her waist, gaining more leverage with each step. She kicked, struggling to get free as the tremendous force holding her evaporated, the brief triumphant thought that she had escaped darting through her mind as her upper torso was suddenly in the hallway, hips now wriggling loose.
But of course, it wasn't meant to be, as the darkness engulfed her once again. She saw it rushing past her like a current of water, slamming into Kuwabara and grappling him as well, yanking him forward. She heard him yell before her ears were once again drowned out of all sound, and she knew of nothing more.
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"Wo de ma he ta de fong kung de wai sheng dou! Did I not put her in your charge, you huan dan?! This wasn't a baby-sitting job, this was bodyguard detail! Like, Presidential or even Primus permit it, Prime-level, dammit! What part of keep her safe didn't you understand?"
An agitated werewolf was a funny thing, sometimes. The reason it was funny was because this particular werewolf was barely five foot tall when reverted to a relatively normal human height. To say in the least, Lupin was rather amusing when she got into a rant, the fur on her tail pointed on end, making it look like a poofy feather duster, her ears pinned back made her resemble an irate puppy rather than a ferocious wolf. But, there were times when it wasn't as humorous, especially when the fur along her arms, her back, her legs, and her torso began to sprout, her snout began to protrude, her legs began to lengthen, her teeth larger than a human mouth should carry and both eyes began to glitter a dangerous gold.
All in all, it looked like she was just a step away from blasting out the fur and turning into a snarling, frothing beast, and currently, Kurama did not want another big, furry animal in his home, thank you very much. The tiger's fur had been hard enough to deal with.
Another string of a mixture of Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, a few choice Cybertronian curses, and English sprung forth from the werewolf's mouth as she stared down those gathered in Kurama's college apartment. The blue of her right eye had all but disappeared, the gold of her bestial side taking over, matching the gold of her left. They could practically see the shimmer of heat coming off of her in waves, similar in a fashion to when Hiei was building up his power; only hers was more raw in strength, less defined and contained. While Hiei had control and even poise at times, Lupin was a barely contained wildfire ready to raze the earth, like a particularly powerful gun that needed to be pointed in the direction when it was to be shot and then run like hell and hope it didn't take you out when it blew up in the end.
When Lupin was tired of staring down and cursing out the others, she turned down the hallway, looking into the room where Lauren had disappeared into not even ten minutes ago. It looked as if a bomb had gone off inside. Everything was charred and black, remnants of a battle hard-fought but quickly lost. It reminded her of trenches on distant planets, of war, of fighting alongside Autobots. Wreckers. The werewolf leaned on the doorway, claws digging into the frame as she inhaled the scent of the shadow-cat, but it did nothing to calm her nerves as she stared at the blackened room. She turned away, a tremble of anger rippling through her body.
"Well, gee, we didn't exactly know they'd have things popping out from the shadows, so sorry we didn't take that into account! You got any better ideas?"
"Genkai, you le se qing wa cao de liu mang!"
Yusuke blinked at her momentarily, boggled before his face melted back into another wave of righteous rage and pigheadedness stubbornness. "Okay, first off, quit with the Chinese, I don't understand a damned word you're saying! Secondly—,"
"Secondly, nothing. She's right. We could have taken her to Genkai's. A weak shadow spirit such as that could not have breached her temple's defenses."
"Not so weak that it captured the buffoon along with the girl. Now we have two people to worry for, not one."
Eyes turned to the form of Hiei, standing at the end of the hallway only a foot short of Lupin. The fur on her body slowly began to recede, the blue in her right eye slowly bleeding through again. She took long, even breathes, calming herself before she turned away, giving Kurama a glance. "Start searching. Dong le ma? I'll take to the air."
Then the werewolf was gone in a flash of shadow wisps and acrid smoke, sparks dancing along the ground where she had once stood. There was a collective silence for a full minute. Kurama looked past Hiei where Lauren's room stood. "We were too lenient. We will not allow that same mistake to be made when we find Lauren again."
"Right, and we're gonna find her how?" Yusuke grumbled, eyeballing the spot where Lupin had disappeared from. "And what's her problem? She's making us take care of a person she's never met before!"
"This person is someone special to her, Yusuke. Someone who she has not met, yes, but someone who is not connected to the military, the Makai, the Black Order, the BPRD, the Wreckers and Tony Stark…Lauren is one the few human friends she has that makes her feel…normal."
"Normal. She wants to feel normal." Yusuke repeated disbelievingly, as if the concept was so bizarre, it barely merited being mentioned.
"For a lack of a better term, yes. It is the most logical reason why she feels so protective of her. That is why, when she found out Lauren would be attending school here, she asked me to keep an eye on her." Kurama smiled a little wistfully, eyes soft. "She is one of the few things in her life that has some resemblance to normalcy, I suppose, although this recent event makes me wonder." He gave another pause before adding, "And not to mention, it is the Marine's training and quotation of 'leave no one behind', is it not?"
Yusuke hesitated, glancing back at the charred room, before he nodded, as if making an unspoken decision and turning back to Kurama with some unreadable emotion in his eyes. "Well, I guess we'd better get started. It's probably gonna be a bitch finding that shadow demon."
"Not necessarily," Kurama said with a rather wry smile lightly graced his lips, almost going unnoticed. At first Yusuke didn't quite catch on, although the gleam in Hiei's eyes told Kurama that the fire demon had, but after a few glances between Kurama and the room, the half-demon blinked several times before a wide grin slowly spread across his face.
"You damned fox, you."
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Why was it so warm, and breezy and bright? She had to marvel at this, considering the contrast to where she'd been before.
Lauren slowly sat up, surprised at how soft and springy whatever she was lying on was, and blinked blearily around her. A thin fog surrounded her, gently pushed aside by a light breeze and swirling around her, sunlight began to pierce through the haze.
She couldn't help but gasp a little at the sight that began to unfold before her. A long, rolling field, with grassy knolls and low, little huts lay before her. A large castle loomed in the distance, the towers and battlements like the iron wrought spikes on a fancy-looking gate piercing the cool, blue skies. She could only estimate that the largest spire rose hundreds of feet in the air, the cold stone looking strange in a place so vibrant with color. Farther behind the castle were mountains surrounding the valley, which was partially covered by a thick forest. The sky was clear and bright with the occasional cloud, the sun shining merrily down on her, and Lauren gaped openly, unable to tear her gaze from the strangely beautiful scene before her.
She had only seen pictures of castles in history books in school, never up close. Even then they were always in ruins, never in a condition such as the one she was looking at now, well-cared and magnificent as it was. Hardly the look of something abandoned. It wasn't until she heard the mewing that she finally tore her gaze from the castle and back down to what she assumed was the village, finding an even stranger sight. People milled around the lands, except they weren't people of any kind, they were all cats. All of them walking on hinds legs, some wearing clothes as a human would. There were humanoid looking cats, some that more closely resembled people than others, but for the general census, they were all feline in nature.
The Demon Cat Kingdom, she suddenly remembered, quivering at the memory of her kidnapping. Am I dreaming or am I really here?
The land before her was expansive, enough to take her breath away. It was the strangest, yet it was an iconic, sight Lauren had ever seen, and she hesitated to move forward, standing there looking as several tawny, spotted, striped, and plain-colored cats scurried around the fields below. She spotted plenty that weren't naturally colored where she was from, shades of blues and greens and pinks and so on, and even those strange humanoid figures with the features and patterns on their skins that belonged on cats only.
Her head swam as she tried to process this, another bizarre occurrence in her increasingly confusing week, and she sat down slowly and carefully. I can't be here. This place…can't exist! Cats don't live in castles, not like kings and princes anyway, and there are no villages that consist of cats and human-looking cat people either! Maybe orphanages that people build for the cats, but then again…ugh! This is too much…
She shuddered at the thought of the strange, rubbery-looking shadow cat that had grabbed her in what seemed only moments ago. Lauren wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly hyperaware of her surroundings, a tingle spiking up and down her spine while the hair on the back of her neck and arms rose up. It hadn't hurt her, per say, but it had simply grabbed her like she was light as air and whisked her away to some unknown kingdom. The word demons ghosted across her mind and Lauren shivered again, breaking out in gooseflesh. They really exist, she thought with a slight grimace. They really, really exist.
Suddenly she thought of Lupin. She didn't know why, or how the young woman had crossed her mind, but she suddenly thought of the advice she'd been given from Lupin earlier that day, right before telling her odd roommate everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours. Had she known about Shuiichi?
The thought struck her like lightning. Oh, my God…is she a demon too? But-but why is she helping me? Why would she even live with humans and trick me like that? How could she?
Fear and anger intermingled with one another as the young woman dug her nails into her arms, not sure whether she wanted to cry or shout in frustration or do both. Thankfully, her thoughts were jolted, her attention diverted elsewhere when she heard a familiar voice calling to her.
"Lauren! Hey, Lauren! Hey, over here!"
She perked at the sound, and turned her head to see the familiar and extremely welcome face of Kuwabara jogging towards her, waving an arm in greeting, a relieved grin on his face. When he came to, he looked barely winded, even if a light sheen of sweat dotted his face. She remembered what Shuiichi had said about him, how he was just as human as she was, but his spiritual awareness was more acute than hers. Did that include his physical status was higher than most humans as well?
Despite her fear, she was glad to see him. Even if she didn't know him all too well, she simply comforted to see someone that was familiar to her. She stood immediately and smiled in relief.
"I'm glad I found you. Whatever that thing was, at least we weren't separated too much."
She gave him a curious look. "Yeah, that is pretty convenient. I wonder why…"
Kuwabara grinned widely, his chest puffing slightly in pride as he held his hands before him, as if gripping a baseball bat or a sword. The air crackled, sparks dancing around his hands. Lauren backed away in shock, eyes wide as suddenly, a spike of what seemed like lightning formed in his hands, vaguely assuming the shape of a sword. The air finally began to settle, but the sword that looked lightning—or energy, Lauren thought in awe—remained as solid as Kuwabara or herself.
"I might've taken a jab or two at it with this baby. I didn't think it'd drop us out of the sky like that, though. At least you're not hurt."
Just as quickly as Kuwabara had summoned the lightning-energy sword, it dissipated into nothingness, but Lauren could still feel the crackle of raw energy in the air. Once again she felt chills worming up and down her spine and skin, swallowing dryly as she was suddenly aware that everything around her was very real. The shadow-cat thing really had grabbed her from her own apartment, demons really were real and the cats of this kingdom really did want her to marry some demon cat prince.
The fear on her face must've shown, and Kuwabara, the poor guy, looked flabbergasted and distraught at her expression. He waved his arms in a disarming fashion, and blustered, "Oh, please don't be scared about that, I didn't mean to scare you, I-I…"
He stopped suddenly when she laughed. It wasn't a happy or giddy laugh, but a rather mad laugh mingling with intermittent sobs. "This…this isn't fair! I don't want to marry a cat! Why did that cat have to turn out to be some sort of-of, d-demon prince?"
A few tears squeezed out of her eyes and Lauren sucked in a deep breath to control herself. She couldn't just go around sobbing like a child now, she told herself. She wiped furiously at the tears, scrubbing her face dry and trying to fight to keep her throat from blocking up like usual when she cried. Kuwabara surprised her when he put a gentle, if rather large, hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She looked up at him, hiccupping, feeling about as miserable as a rain-soaked stray.
"It's gonna be okay, I promise. Kurama and the others won't just leave us here. They'll find their way to this place."
She blinked a few times, brow furrowing and she dipped her lips into a frown. "K-Kurama? Who's that?"
It was Kuwabara's turn to be surprised and once more, he garnered the look of awkwardness quite well. "Er…you mean, you don't know?"
"Know what? I don't exactly have a Masters in demonology one-oh-one," she replied in a deadpan voice. She knew she was being slightly blunt and straightforward, but dammit, she just got kidnapped by some sort of shadow. She believed now was a decent time to give herself some leeway in her manners. Just this once, though, she told herself.
Kuwabara sighed, scratching the back of his head. "Kurama…is Shuiichi. What I mean to say is Shuiichi's real name is Kurama. I'm pretty sure you know that he's—," He hesitated. Lauren dropped her gaze.
"A…demon, right?" She finished quietly.
Kuwabara nodded, his face serious as he regarded her. "He's a pretty strong one, too. And he's real smart, so I doubt he'd just give up finding us. That's why you shouldn't lose any hope. Okay?"
The thought of Shuiichi (Kurama? She was still boggled at the double-standard name) not giving up, well…she was sure that much was true. He was tenacious when it came to his school work, she found out, so she was quite sure in other aspects of his life, which he would tackle with the same cool, calm and collected attitude he usually portrayed. Lauren slowly nodded, not even realizing.
"I…guess so…" She furrowed her brow a little, and the thought of her supposed friend came into play once more. "Kuwabara…do you know someone named Lupin Ferus?"
She knew he did once the light of recognition grew bright in his eyes. "Uh…uh, how-how do you know—,"
"Mackenzie-san! Mackenzie-san, there you are!"
Both Kuwabara and Lauren snapped their attention towards the voice that drifted their way, and Lauren saw that the tabby cat from earlier was waltzing towards them on his hind legs, waving a paw at them. What was even stranger, however, was how big he was. It was like he had suddenly grown three times his size, he was almost as tall, perhaps even taller, than her! She gaped at the newly grown cat in shock, knowing she was staring, but at the same time couldn't bear to look away. It was like a train wreck in progress you just couldn't look away from.
Behind the tabby cat was an assembly of the same bronze-skinned, leopard-spotted human-cat people she had seen the other night, four of them carrying an empty dais on their shoulders. On either side of the human-cat people were regular cats, although they were human-sized like the tabby was. They were all solemn-faced as they approached. All were solemn except for, predictably, the happy and pudgy little tabby who grinned at her with gleaming fangs. Regarding her through his half-lidded yellow eyes, whiskers raising up higher, he called, "Mackenzie-san, I'm so glad we found you! I'm so sorry about the abrupt drop-off, our Schrodinger's Shadow had come across some complications on its way into the Kingdom."
"Schrodinger's…Shadow? You mean that rubber-looking cat?"
"It's technically a shadow, Mackenzie-san, hence the name. It's consisted of, as the name suggests, shadows that are so highly condensed, it becomes a solid, but only for short periods of times. It's the only way to make a quick getaway into the Kingdom, if you're in a pinch or trying to summon someone in." A glimmer passed in the cat's eyes, or was that just the way the afternoon sun had just shone in it when he tilted his head?
"Schrodinger? What the hell is that?" Kuwabara finally blurted, narrowing his eyes at the tabby. In an instant, the tabby turned his eyes on him, and his ears went back, fur slightly spiking.
"Who're you?" From the tabby's tone, he had just went from cheerful to I'm-ready-to-claw-some-eyes-out-now.
"I'm the guy who's keeping an eye on Lauren. If you don't like it, tough luck. No way she's going anywhere alone in this place."
She turned to protest, but the serious look on his face made her stop. That is, she froze until he gave her a quick wink and slight smile. The message was clear enough, and Lauren shut up, and turned back. "Um…yes, he's…my protector. I really do appreciate the tiger you had sent, but I prefer to choose my own guardian, if that's all right with you."
The tabby regarded Kuwabara another moment, before his fur flattened, his ears perked and the happy grin was replaced on his muzzle. "Well, I suppose that'll be all right, Mackenzie-san. We don't usually allow uninvited humans into the Kingdom like this."
"What do you do with the uninvited ones?" She asked, feeling slightly squeamish all of a sudden at the answer.
"We execute them," the tabby said breezily before he pivoted sharply on his paws, tail held high as he motioned for the cat-people to lower the dais. "Come on, the King is waiting for your arrival at your castle!"
"My…castle?"
"Why, yes of course, Mackenzie-san! You're the future princess and King's daughter-in-law! We have a lot to plan, so we must hurry!"
Lauren glanced at Kuwabara, her confidence lost again. He reached over and gave her a somewhat awkward pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be fine. Our friends will make sure of that, okay? They'll be here soon." He said quietly, hoping that the cats didn't hear. They made no hint that they did, and if they had, they didn't say or do anything that indicated they did. Lauren hesitated before she nodded, swallowing her fear back down. Taking a deep breath, she turned towards the expectant tabby and the assemblage of cats and cat-people.
"A-all right, then…I guess we should go meet the King, then, huh?"
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I realize the complete redundancy of incorporating Western feudal systems into the Japanese culture. I'm completely ignoring this for the sake of a story fueled by crack!fandom giddiness, and of course, pure fan-made entertainment. I'm sure if I were to truly go for a real feudal fairy tale, I'd edge towards more historical facts based on the actual culture's hierarchy and empirical statuses. XD
Also, notes!
Lauren is difficult for me to write. She is Arktos' character, and as such I am borrowing her (with permission of course), and Arktos has made a painfully polite character, at which I am quite unfamiliar with (manners? What're those?) but I willing to learn through the process of trial and error! So far, Arktos likes my rendition of Lauren, and I'm happy that I'm doing Lauren justice!
Second!
Lupin is, of course as noted from above, from my story Crash. There are spoilers here, which I also realize the redundancy of posting here, but the only way this story would work is if I made here feature here is if she is from the post!Crash timeline. If you want to see how Lupin started out, as well as see how many fandoms I can cram into one story (which is a lot, I can tell ya) then go meander on over and read Crash! We've got Hellboy, How to Train Your Dragon, and Fullmetal Alchemist, and hopefully soon, I'll have our favorite Reiki Tantei boys popping on it, too! Don't worry, they'll have shining moments there, too. ;3
Translations (taken from the Wikiquote page for Firefly/Serenity):
Wo de ma he ta de fong kung de wai sheng dou—Holy mother of God and all her wacky nephews
Huan dan—bastard
Le se qing wa cao de liu mang—Garbage frog-humping son of a bitch
Dong le ma—Are we clear here?