Operation Code 17-1700
Maybe wearing a simple dress with a coat to cover her tattoos wasn't very stylish. Especially when compared to her team's leader who was dressed to kill. Thankfully Yukina was also dressed casually and the fact that she wasn't alone in dressing normally slightly eased Keiko's nerves. However, as they walked to the amusement park, Keiko could feel the knife in her purse shift with her movement. The thought that it would soon be lodged in one of the Underworld agents made her feel like being violently ill. Even if she was ill, though, the leader would still drag her to the date. No matter how she and Yukina looked at it, there was no way to avoid what was to come. Not even the boys' goddess of Luck could save them now.
Above their heads the blinking sign lit up announcing to one and all the park's name. It looked like a put-up job but Keiko's attention was focused on the three boys standing just under the sign. Two of the boys were fighting in a way that made her feel the sharp pain of nostalgia and homesickness. As the girls walked closer she could see the leader's target, Shuichi, trying to break up the fight. He seemed to be having more luck than she ever had when it came to breaking up Kuwabara and Yusuke.
The boys stopped their rough-housing once they had spotted the girls. The leader smiled as she led the girls over.
"Well," she said. "Introductions are probably a good idea." She motioned to Keiko and Yukina and introduced them before giving her name as Shun.
Shuichi then introduced himself and his friends. Both Shuichi and Yusuke used false names. It appeared they knew the rules of the game. Not that it would help them, Keiko thought as the knife bumped against her leg. Was there really no way out for her?
It was decided that they would split into pairs and go on a few rides before meeting up at the Ferris wheel. After that, they would go get something to eat. The leader was paired with Shuichi and Yukina was going with Kuwabara. This left Yusuke and Keiko.
As the group split up, Yusuke made a beeline for the bumper cars before coming to a quick stop as if he remembered some piece of advice.
"So," he said. "What do you want to ride on first?"
She shrugged.
They finally decided on the roller-coaster. Yusuke bought the tickets and they sat down on the ride. As it started to climb, Keiko found herself wondering why she agreed to this ride. She hadn't been on a coaster since she was little and she had hated it. They went too fast and when the car went on the loops and sharp curves, she was sure the car would jump the tracks. As the car reached the top of the hill she felt Yusuke throw his arms over his head.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Try it," he said as the car stated to trip over the edge. "It makes the ride way more fun."
Despite her better judgement, Keiko raised her arms. The car went over the edge. It reached the first turn and Keiko felt it sickeningly tilt. She threw her arms around Yusuke in an attempt to keep herself from screaming. She closed her eyes. Why the hell did she agree to the ride?
Turn after turn, Keiko was sure her death was at the end of the next corner. Although that would solve her moral dilemma she actually wasn't ready to die yet. Finally, the accursed ride came to a stop. Yusuke let his arms return to his side and nudged Keiko.
"It's over," he said.
She peeked out from her hiding spot against his chest and slowly released her death grip on his t-shirt. He was grinning like a fool she used to know as they stepped off the coaster.
"Why'd you agree to it if you hate roller coasters?" he asked.
Keiko glared at him. "Believe it or not but I haven't been on one of these since I was little."
He was laughing now.
Keiko glared at him some more before looking around for a ride that she would enjoy. "How about the Tilt-a-Whirl?"
"The what?"
She pointed to a machine that had four bowl-like items attached to a frame which moved the bowls in a circle like a merry-go-round. People were sitting in the bowls and turning a steering wheel that was cemented in the middle of the bowl. The more you turned the wheel, the faster the bowl spun while it was already going around in a circle.
Yusuke turned green just looking at it. However, he nodded and followed Keiko towards the ride. As they were standing in line, Keiko tried to give him a way out.
"We could go get some food," she offered.
Yusuke shook his head. "I'm fine."
Keiko turned to hide her grin. At least his attempts at trying to hide his discomfort hadn't changed. Unfortunately, it turned out that Yusuke was not fine. After getting off the ride, he stumbled over to the nearest garbage can where he threatened to spill his guts. Finally, he stopped dry heaving and glared at Keiko.
She frowned back at him. "You didn't have to go on the ride, Yoshi," she told him.
Yusuke nodded. "Fine. Now what?"
Keiko sighed. She was supposed to lure him into a false sense of security before ending him. However, as she had noted before, Yusuke had changed. He wasn't as carefree as the child he was before and this Yusuke made the child version look like he was the most uncaring kid in the world. He rarely smiled and then he did, it was more like a sarcastic smirk. She wondered what had caused that change.
*O*C*1*7
Yukina tried to hide her yawn behind her hand as she and Kazuma walked around the park. She had not gotten any sleep the night before the date. Every time she closed her eyes visions of what she was going to do kept flashing before her eyelids. A chill ran down her spine as she thought about it. Beside her, Kazuma suddenly shivered.
"Getting a little cold," he said as he started to remove his jacket. He then placed the jacket on her shoulders causing her to stare at him. "Don't want you catching a cold," he said with a laugh.
She tried to smile back but knew it came out all wrong. She would never catch a cold from the winter air any longer. That pleasure was stolen from her years ago.
Kazuma's grin widened as he looked around at the different games that surrounded them. While he was distracted, Yukina took the time to study him. This was the boy she was going to kill. She clutched the jacket tightly. This nice and caring boy was going to die tonight and she couldn't even guarantee him a quick and painless death. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and carefully avoided looking at Kazuma. Part of her wanted to tell him and warn him but the part of her that was afraid of what Demon World would do kept silent. When she was young they had made it all too clear what would happen if she tried to run or if anyone tried to help her. She could still remember Honda and the pattern the blood made on the walls as the bullets ripped through his body. Soon Kazuma would be joining him in the Land of the Dead.
Yukina found herself pulled from her thoughts as Kazuma grabbed her arm and pulled her into a space between two game booths where the area was dark. Before she could say anything, he placed his hands on her shoulders and stared into her red eyes. He didn't flinch when her red orbs widened and stared into his brown eyes.
"What did they do to you, Yukina?" he asked.
Yukina tried to look anywhere but those frank eyes. She could kill him right there. It would be so easy. No one would see the act. She could scream and pretend that someone had jumped out and attacked them before running off. It would be all too easy. Yet she did not reach out to him nor did she call on the very thing that had given her the name Ice Maiden.
He gripped her shoulders harder. "Demon World, Yukina. What did Demon World do to you? You weren't like this when you went missing."
She bit her lip. "I don't know what you are talking about," she whispered.
Kazuma shook his head. "I can help you. I don't know what they did but I can help you. Yoshi, Yori. We can help you and Keiko."
Yukina shook her head. It was too late for her. Ten years too late.
*O*C*1*7
"So how what do you do in your spare time, Yori?"
Fox glanced around for anything to distract himself from the grip on his arm. When the group had first split up, Shun had placed a death grip on his arm and started to pull him through the park. Since then Youko had refused to lie quietly. Fox gritted his teeth as he mentally braced for Youko's next attack. The other personality mentally pushed against Fox's barriers but was deflected. Fox could feel Youko's anger as the being in his mind circled for another attack. He just hoped he could block Youko and keep Shun busy at the same time without consequences.
*O*C*1*7
Dragon frowned as he leaned against a wall sipping down a slurpee. Spirit had disappeared between the booths with the person the fool was convinced was Yukina. Although Dragon would never outwardly admit it, he agreed with Spirit. Although the hair and eye colour was different, he felt sure it was his twin sister. He winced as he felt a sharp pain in his head and glared at the slurpee. The pain soon vanished and he glanced to where the fool and Yukina were. With luck, they would soon know what those bastards had done to her.