A Month With Suichi Minamino
By Payne N. Uranus
.:AN:.
Oh God. I don't know if I have the patience to deal with another --
Conscience: Hello!
...Encounter...with...Conscience... (sigh) Hello...
Conscience: Oh come on. Like you don't secretly love me and my witty charms.
Witty...charms...huh? When have you actually shown any wit or charms?
Conscience: (stares) You know, maybe you should go to bed. I don't like talking to you when you're in this mood. It makes me feel very unwanted and unloved.
Oh no, you should never feel like that. (rolls eyes) I have people to thank/talk to. Leave me alone.
Conscience: One day, there will come a time when you'll wish you didn't hate on me. And where will I be? Sunning in Maui. Sipping a Pina Colada. Enjoying life, and you'll be here, miserable.
Shut up. I at least have people who love me! Like loveanime18 and saiyuri-dahlia, because these two just plain rock with helping with the editing of these chapters lately. So yup! I honestly believe this wouldn't be much without them.
And, lots and LOTS of love for the following people who reviewed to last chapter!
Death101- Fox Version (Risk does kick ass, yo), L0llip0piieLurVe, yuki san1 (psst, three chapters, three chapters, shh shh), Supporteroffanfics, Tateno Atsukino, luckyducky, MizuKaji, QueenOfCrisis (teehee, yes, he sooo totally can --evil laughter--), The Nagging Muse, OneOutOfControlChick (dude, I'll love you forever. Thanks for the constant support!), FictionOtaku (Haha, no, Suichi's not brainwashed..you'll see!), Tiger-Eyed-Kitsune (no, it certainly wasn't harsh OR rude, and I'm glad for the well-wishes! You're awesome. =) I will finish all my stories, promise!), Black-Wolf-Demon-Girl (problem solved! Yay!), and Yoru Inu (Updated!)
Conscience: Payne. Focus. So I can get to doing my Maui plan.
Right, right. Bring me back a lay, okay? (notices Conscience staring and blinks) Stop looking at me like that, pervert.
Conscience: I'm your conscience, how can I be a pervert if you're not one?
(blushes) ...Shut up. Chapter. Now. Read.
Conscience: (sniggers)
Chapter Nineteen: Tensions Breaking
Yusuke and Kuwabara lay on their backs, side-by-side, head-to-foot, in the vast meadow, gulping in air as they stared up at the dimming sky. Night was falling, and their training was coming to an end for the evening, but neither boy was willing to move. As their breathing slowed, and their muscles relaxed, the duo turned their heads to give each other significant looks.
"You're worried, too?" Yusuke asked, finally sitting up, staring hard at the surrounding forest.
Kuwabara followed his lead, gazing in the opposite direction. "Hard not to be. I mean, this Akio guy's supposed to be the toughest bad guy yet, and we're gonna be expecting a fight anytime now. 'Course I'm worried."
Yusuke turned to look up at the sky. "You know what worries me the most?"
"What?" his companion asked.
The Spirit Detective's brow furrowed in deep thought, and answered, "Kurama."
Sensing his partner's troubles, Kuwabara twisted around and fell onto his bare chest, both fighters having lost their shirts sometime during their spar. He propped his head up onto his fist, giving all of his attention to the black-haired boy. Kuwabara knew he didn't need to prompt him for an explanation.
After a few moments of silence, Yusuke continued. "D'you notice anything funny between Kurama and Mitsuyo?"
"Uh," The carrot-top thought back to what he'd seen between the two of them when they were staying at Genkai's, and nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. Yeah, kinda. You mean how he was always watching her and stuff, even though he was being all secretive about it, but really it was obvious?"
Yusuke nodded in affirmation. "Exactly. And how he never touched her unless he really had to, and didn't talk to her except to help her train or meditate. I mean, even we talked to her after training time and all that."
Kuwabara was quiet before asking, "You think they got into a fight? 'Cause Yukina mentioned something about them arguing while they were doing the dishes the other night..."
"Naw," the Spirit Detective said, shaking his head, "I think it's something else. I don't know what, but it's really thrown Kurama off. Hiei's bragged about catching that fox off-guard more than ever, and I've seen him trying to read his stupid books, but his eyes don't move."
"Maybe the same thing's happened to him like it did to Touya," Kuwabara suggested in a serious tone. "Which means that Mitsuyo might be in even more danger, since he's the only one with her right now."
"When would that have happened?" the black-haired boy asked harshly. "We would've noticed if he'd slipped off for a long period of time! We would've sensed Akio approach! It would've been nearly impossible for that bastard to come, or for Kurama to go without one of us noticing at some point."
Kuwabara shrugged. "Look, all I'm saying is that it's possible that whatever's wrong with Kurama is the enemy's doing. I mean, think about it. Akio's given us a week to prepare, and I doubt he'd give us any longer than that. He could've made a move sometime before just to make sure that when the time comes, he'll have no trouble getting what he wants. Kurama put himself in charge of Mitsuyo's training, right? Controlling him would give Akio the best opportunity to grab her, right? He could be moving in on her as we speak!"
Yusuke considered this for a long time, before pushing himself up into a standing position. At Kuwabara's questioning gaze, he looked away and said, "While I don't like even thinking that Kurama might have been taken over, it's still a possibility we have to be prepared for. Besides, even if we're wrong, Kurama'll need back-up sooner or later, and it's better to be on-call then to have to be completely unaware."
Kuwabara nodded his understanding, a determined smile on his face.
The Spirit Detective waved for his partner to join him, explaining, "We should probably grab Hiei and tell Genkai before heading out, so that when Botan shows up, she can report to Koenma. Let's go."
~`*`~
"Koenma sir!"
The toddler in question looked up from the papers he was stamping and turned his attention to his right-hand apparition.
"What is it, Ogre?" he prompted sharply.
The blue demon seemed to dance in place, the hands holding a few sheets of paper were shaking. Nervously, Ogre stuttered out, "We have a slight problem, Sir."
Koenma sighed, placing the rubber stamp down in order to rub his temples. Idly, he wondered why he surrounded himself with drama queens. After all, the young prince was more than enough of one himself. No others were really necessary.
"Yes, Ogre, I gathered," Koenma responded with strained patience. "What is this problem exactly?"
Ogre handed over the documents he held, and stammered anxiously while his boss read them over. "See, you know how after Yusuke and the others ran into Touya, you ordered a check-up on Jin, Chu, and Rinku? Well, you see..."
"They've disappeared?" Koenma exclaimed with shock and worry, staring avidly at the papers. "How in the world could they have just disappeared! They're top-notch demons! How could they have been taken down like this so quickly without alerting anyone?"
"I knew you wouldn't like it," Ogre muttered to himself.
At this, Koenma glared inquiringly at his assistant, who promptly started cowering before the demi-god. "I don't know, Sir, but we've searched all over, sent out all the reapers and groundlings, and no one has heard anything from them since a few nights ago. It's like they've fallen off the face of the earth. Or...Demon World, that is."
Koenma fell back into his seat, groaning at what this may mean. "This is horrible."
"What do you mean, Sir?" Ogre questioned. Noticing the look his boss was giving him, the apparition quickly amended, "I mean, I understand that losing four of Yusuke's closest allies is definitely a loss, but what does this have to do with the case he's working on now?"
"Just about everything!" Koenma shouted in frustration. Forcing himself to calm down, he relaxed against the back of his chair, and tried to explain. "We've been trying to find out exactly what Akio is going to do to Mitsuyo once he gets a hold of her. But since we didn't really have any intel on Akio's powers save for the few encounters we have had with his armies, we didn't have much to work off except for the clues we managed to gather. Now, however, we've had Touya apparently brainwashed, though to what extent, we don't know. With Jin and the others missing...that just spells trouble for Yusuke and everyone in the future confrontations with Akio."
"You mean Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Kurama, and Mitsuyo will have to go against those four because Akio took over their bodies and are controlling them?" Ogre clarified with confusion.
"I guess," Koenma replied, shrugging helplessly. "If that's the case, we really have to make sure that Mitsuyo is never in any position where Akio can get to her."
Ogre, tentatively, questioned, "Mitsuyo, Sir?"
Koenma just gave the demon a pitied once-over. "Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to try to keep you up to speed with things. Yes, Mitsuyo. If Akio's powers can manipulate the Spirit Energies of other apparitions like Jin, Rinku, and Chu, just imagine what will happen if he can influence that girl. Who knows if those bonds we placed on her when she was a newborn will hold up against the strain?"
"That's horrible, Sir, we have to do something!" Ogre announced strongly.
Koenma, having enough of his assistant, stood up on his desk and proceeded to beat the demon about the head with the papers he had been given. Bellowing above Ogre's pitiful cries of mercy, the young prince said, "Don't you think I know that already? I am tired of you pointing out the obvious to me! I am the Almighty Koenma and I know how to do my job, so why don't you do yours and get back to work before I assign you to a less-than-pleasant job like Limbo security!!"
"Yes Sir, yes Sir..." Ogre mumbled repetitively as he backed out of the large office doors. Once they closed behind him, the blue demon slumped and muttered to himself, "Mother keeps telling me to get a new job, but do I listen? No..."
Inside the room, Koenma sat, a dark look on his face as he thought things over. Before he could come to any conclusion, the intercom on his desk came to life.
"Koenma sir?" the feminine voice asked.
Koenma pushed the button to respond. "Yes, what is it?"
"Botan's here to see you, Sir. She says she has a message from Urameshi."
The young prince frowned, feeling even more concerned. "Send her in," he commanded, "and let her know I may have another job for her."
"Very well, Sir," the voice replied, and with a beat of silence, the doors opened once again.
~`*`~
Kurama knew something was wrong.
Figuring that out, however, was the easy part. The real problem was, he couldn't find what was wrong. It had been going on since he and Mitsuyo had stepped onto the Kajima property. A strange buzzing in the back of his mind, creating a strong sense of confusion in his thought process. It was the reason why he had such a hard time coming up with an excuse for their abrupt departure the week before. Kurama wrote it off as stress and exhaustion, but the nagging wouldn't let up. He was thankful that, even though the lie had been unbelievable for the most part, Mitsuyo's parents had accepted it, and the subject had been dropped. It was almost too easy. The mother had been in hysterics, then after being fed such a poorly structured story (well, Kurama thought it was a very good one), she was fine? No, something was up. If Kurama only could think, he would be able to figure out exactly what. There was something that was missing, something he had overlooked. But he couldn't think of what it was.
Mitsuyo had passed out some time ago on the love seat, snoring at the unfinished game of chess left out on the coffee table, while the redhead relaxed in the nearby club chair. Trying to relax, that is. Peering over steepled fingers, he noticed the girl seemed to be completely unaffected by any troublesome dreams, laying with her legs sprawled across the cushions and her arms lounging about her head. For a fleeting second, Kurama was jealous of her ease of mind, but immediately brushed the feeling away. Mentally, he made a tally of every worry worthy variable in the house.
Mr. and Mrs. Kajima. Asleep upstairs in their master bedroom. Neither one had moved from the bed other than to go to the bathroom nor to switch positions. Kurama had double-checked just in case he was wrong.
Hiroshi. Also in his bedroom, asleep. Once again, Kurama had checked.
Mitsuyo. Snoring away on the couch. Kurama didn't even need to check on that -- the snorts gave it away.
The necklace given to her had come untucked, peeking over the collar of her shirt. Kurama did his best to observe the gems at a distance, realizing for the first time that they seemed to glow without any noticeable source of light. For a while, he stared distantly at the sleeping brown-haired girl, wondering at nothing and everything without coming to a decent conclusion.
The buzzing just wouldn't cease.
Then Kurama's cell phone rang.
Immediately cupping his pocket in an attempt to muffle the noise, he glanced to the side to make sure that the ringing hadn't disturbed his ward. Mitsuyo merely smacked her lips, mumbled something incomprehensible, and wriggled her body so that it faced the back of the couch. Kurama sighed in relief, then rushed into another room for privacy.
The redhead didn't even bother to check the ID; only a few people had his number, and it was guaranteed to be important when any one of them called.
"Hello?" he murmured softly into the mouthpiece.
"Suichi?" responded the caller.
Kurama's eyes widened slightly in shock. "Mother?"
The woman on the other side of the phone laughed lightly, "Of course, were you expecting someone else?"
Glancing at Mitsuyo to make sure she was still soundly asleep, the redhead carefully rose from his seat and left the room so that she would remain undisturbed. Once he was sure that he was out of hearing distance, Kurama returned his attention to his mother.
"I'm sorry," he explained calmly, "I guess I just lost track of time. Are you returning soon?"
There was a muffled conversation occurring on the other end of the line, before Shiori responded with hardly restrained happiness, "Actually, we're on our way home now. Traffic was terrible, and we had to stop off for some food, but we're about twenty minutes away. I'm sorry for calling so late. Did I wake you?"
Kurama looked at the clock. It was close to midnight.
"No, actually I was already up," he replied easily.
"Really? Is everything alright?"
At this, the fox couldn't help but laugh. "Everything's fine, Mother. I've just had a lot on my mind recently, that's all. Nothing serious."
Shiori sounded doubtful, but accepted the answer anyway. "Well, alright. If you're sure."
"I am, Mother."
"Anyway, I want to hear all about your summer and what you did when we get back. How's our other Suichi doing?"
That was it.
Kurama couldn't believe it had slipped his mind. Nothing could excuse that. He had forgotten about his own step-brother. Or...soon-to-be, or so Kurama expected.
"He's fine," he lied quickly. "Listen, Mother, I'll call you back in a bit, I am disturbing everyone's sleep by talking with you at this hour. I'm sorry."
"Wait, Suichi, I need to tell you that--"
Kurama hastily interrupted her. "Later, Mother. Goodbye!"
Dropping his phone onto the wooden floor, Kurama wasted no time in rushing to the front door and walking out. Immediately, he was hit with a sharp blast of air, stopping him in place. His arms rose to block his face from the vicious winds roaring about the house. Still, the redhead eyed the surroundings, noting the crackling energy inside the near-tornado. It seemed to have wrapped itself around the Kajima property, obscuring the houses next door and the street just a few meters away, and blowing so hard, Kurama doubted that anyone would be able to come or leave the property.
He had seen a likeness of this before.
But that didn't explain the buzzing.
It was as distracting as ever, the volume climbing with every forceful step Kurama took while outside. Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate to the best of his abilities, searching for something he knew existed somewhere in the vicinity. Kurama stretched out with his senses, checking the rooftops, the trees, the...
'Oh no,' he silently gasped in horror.
Twisting around, he rushed inside, not even bothering to close the door behind him. His long strides carried him to the stairway in seconds, which he ascended three steps at a time. Still his thoughts were jumbled, and still he could barely focus on the energy signature that he had discovered, but still he ran.
Stopping in front of the doorway at the end of the hall and gathering his spirit energy, Kurama distractedly prayed that his step-brother was all right.
~`*`~
"Ino! INO! Heel! Stop! Play dead! NO!"
Suichi's feet flew up in the air, unable to find purchase on the wet grass to stop the Kajijma's crazy dog from scampering any further. No matter how hard the boy tugged on the leash, Ino simply would not obey, so intent he was on following whatever scent he had found.
When he had volunteered to take the dog for a walk, Suichi hadn't expected this sort of trouble from the family pet. Ever since he had been there, the shorthaired mix had been nothing but well behaved the whole time, save for the little incident with Mitsuyo's bed sheets (though Suichi had a feeling that if Hiroshi hadn't locked the dog in there for so long, that wouldn't have been a problem). So when the dog started scratching at the front door right and whining pitifully as Suichi put his dinner plates in his sink, he had no qualms about taking the responsibility of leading him on a walk around the block.
Now Suichi regretted his decision immensely.
"Bad dog! BAD DOG!!" Suichi continued to scream hysterically, now on the ground on his stomach. The mutt had proceeded to drag him across the dew-slick lawn, getting the front of his shirt sopping wet and throwing clogs of dirt and grass into his face.
Ino barked jovially in response, circling the thick trunk of one particular oak tree a couple times, before shooting off down towards the large water fountain in the middle of the local park. Suichi started shouting even louder, knowing where this was leading.
"DOWN! SIT! STAY! STOP! STOP! STOOOP!!"
He tried to untangle his hands from the leash, but it was useless. The thing had knotted itself around his wrist, and with the constant pulling, Suichi had not chance to get loose. And just as he predicted, Ino leapt into the pool surrounding the white statue, howling madly, and brought Suichi in for the ride, shrieking with all his might. The water was cold -- colder than cold. The summer night air hadn't warmed it in the slightest; it felt like he had jumped into a frozen lake.
Upon impact, the leash slipped from around his hands. He drifted down, knees dragging along the rough bottom of the fountain, before he pushed himself back up. Suichi broke the surface gasping, having spent most of his breath screaming prior to his dunking, and shook his head so that his water-logged hair was flung out of his eyes. Ino was busy dog-paddling around in circles, seeming to no longer care about the smell that had dragged the pair around the neighborhood for hours.
Suichi scowled deeply. "Stupid dog," he grumbled, half-heartedly splashing the water in Ino's direction. The mutt merely woofed in response, and paddled over to give him a light lick on the cheek.
Suichi didn't know how long they stayed in the water. All he knew was that he was tired, cold, and ready to sleep, but wasn't willing to make the trip back to the Kajima house. For a while, he fiddled with the many coins littering the base of the pool, picking them up and flipping them only to watch as they plunked back into the water. The boy's body was slowly growing numb from the temperature of the water, but he didn't care. His whole front was aching, and Suichi thought that if he moved, it would hurt even more.
He only got up when Ino jumped out of the fountain and started shaking himself off. Suichi figured the Kajima's wouldn't take too kindly to him losing their dog, no matter how cruel the mutt was. It was only at this thought that he realized how long they had been gone, and wondered if they were looking for him now.
Slopping water all over the place with his drenched clothes, he put his arms on the edge of the pool ready to hoist himself out, when he suddenly froze.
Or, to be accurate, the water did.
It was over before he could even register what was happening. Twisting around, he saw that the water was clear, but unmoving. He was trapped from the waist down, unable to move an inch. Suichi could still make out the glitter of the coins in the fountain as well as the reflection of the lights and his face. He gasped in shock, and blinked to shake the sight, thinking he was seeing things.
The pond had turned to ice.
It's the cold, he thought to himself, unable to prevent the violent shiver that wracked his spine. I'm tired. I'm dreaming, this is all a dream.
Suichi made to lift his hands and push himself free, but found with a pained cry that they couldn't move. His eyes went wide when he turned and saw the same thick, clear ice encased everything below his wrists.
This is a dream, this is a dream, this is all just a dream!
"Ino!" the brunette called out, turning his head in search for the dog. He couldn't hear anything. "Ino!" he called louder, "Ino! INO! COME HERE, BOY! INO!"
The dog was gone.
"Oh no," he started murmuring to himself, finding that his eyes were starting to tear up. "Oh no, oh no, oh no..."
"What's wrong, petty human? Are you afraid of a little harmless ice?"
Suichi started when he heard the voice, so cold and disgusted, coming from behind him. His breath started coming out in frantic gasps as he turned as far as he could to see who had spoken. It hurt his stomach, and a few bones in his back popped from the extension, but Suichi was able to make out the form of a man shrouded in shadow.
He was startled out of his shock when the man spoke again, dread flooding his senses.
"It's probably smart of you, though," he chuckled. "Because, you see... I could end your life right here."
And from his arm sprouted a weapon long and thick, piercing the boundaries of the shadows and glinting off the park lamplights. Suichi's eyes grew ever larger when he saw the appendage incased with the same ice that bound him, with a razor-edge and a menacing point, aimed down at him.
The young boy's mouth opened, and he screamed.
~`*`~
Akio sat upon his throne, one leg resting upon the knee of the other, and his hands drumming excitedly upon the hard material of the armrests. Eager eyes flashed behind his spectacles as they peered down at the basin at the foot of the stairs, drinking in the images that were dancing along the rippling surface.
Everything was going according to plan. The petty human that was said to be close to that redheaded fox was in his slave's clutches, and his other recent slaves were moving in on the Kajima household without any signs of being detected.
This was Akio's plan. He didn't necessarily need a hostage, but he figured that in order to make sure that the girl didn't do something stupid, a back-up plan didn't hurt. Besides, he had always wanted to experiment on a human.
Waving his hand over the basin, the image shifted, revealing a peaceful temple. The scene was magnified, and an old lady asleep on a futon came into view.
Akio's smile widened. Completely unaware, he thought to himself, and could help but laugh wickedly.
Once again, he passed his hand over the liquid, finding the images too exciting to ignore for long.
And abruptly the laughter turned into a roar of anger.
~`*`~
Suichi didn't know what happened. One minute, the stranger was bearing down on him, his strange ice sword poised to attack, and then he was on the ground. His sword had sheathed itself in the ground, and his free hand had come up to massage his now bruised cheek.
He didn't even have time to appreciate the wicked cool hairstyle and ninja garb before the young boy felt a strong heat coming from where his body had been frozen in place. Whipping around, he was stunned into silence by the intensity of crimson eyes.
"Shut up, Human," the newcomer ordered unnecessarily, his palm aflame and melting the encasement. "I don't have the time to deal with any questions or complaints you undoubtedly have."
Suichi did the only thing he could think of, and nodded quickly.
Another two figures came onto the scene and, although they were both illuminated by the moonlight, Suichi didn't recognize either one. However, they didn't have weird weapons growing out of strange places and they had saved his life, so he'd give them the benefit of the doubt.
Turning his head, he saw that the man that had originally attacked him had disappeared.
"Damn it," said the one with slick black hair, noticing the same thing. "He probably left to back up whoever's already at the house. Hiei, when you get this guy out, take him and meet up with us at Mitsuyo's. Kuwabara and I are gonna go ahead. Mr. Sensitive says he senses some crazy spirit activity going on, and there might be a need for some back-up."
"What?" the shortest one scowled. "Do we really need another useless human underfoot?"
Suichi almost wanted to be offended that he was described as "useless", but the "human" bit of the speech had made him rethink bringing attention to himself. If he was being described as human, there was a chance that these guys weren't (because, hello, the guy's hand was on fire), and Suichi didn't know if he could handle any more...freakiness.
The guy Suichi assumed was Kuwabara spoke in a gruff voice, "It's not like one more will make a difference, besides, Mitsuyo's parents can at least make sure he stays out of harm's way, Kurama would kill us if anything bad happened to him."
Hiei just made a small noise of disapproval, and waved them off. Before Suichi could even blink, the two were gone.
Swallowing thickly, the young boy risked a glance up at the guy supposedly helping him out, and quivered when he saw the impatience in them.
Hiei caught the look, and rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna kill you," he said. "But if you don't stop shaking, you're going to get yourself burned, idiot."
~`*`~
Kurama threw open the door to the guest room, Rose Whip at the ready. Winding plants of all sorts were bursting in through the window, grown from seeds he had placed in the Kajima's garden weeks prior when they had been weeding as a safety precaution. The floor of the room was littered with shards of glass from the forced entry, and bits of dirt coated the little knick-knacks of Suichi's.
Standing in the middle of the room, looking completely off-guard, was Jin.
Just as I suspected, Kurama thought, unable to ignore the pang of discomfort that came with this revelation. It hurt to think he'd have to fight off a former ally. Does this mean Chu and Rinku are suffering the same fate?
Just then, Jin gave an uneasy chuckle, and started rubbing the back of his head. "Hey!" he greeted, and Kurama was momentarily surprised at how normal he sounded. "Ya know, I was getting all excited to sneak up and have a battle with ya, 'cause since you were all chummy-chummy with Urameshi back when we were at the Dark Island area, I figured it'd be a grand match, but I'm sorry to say that you just fell for the trap, pal!"
Trap? Kurama exclaimed inwardly, his body getting tense.
"Course I thought you woulda seen it coming, I mean, you're supposed to be the brains of the operation, weren't ya? And then pow! and poosh! I got me mighty gust goin', and suddenly it's like you lose your cool! Can't believe you left the girlie all alone!"
Immediately, Kurama turned to leave the room, only to have a wall of tearing wind blocking the doorway. He grit his teeth, sending a stony glare over his shoulder towards the Irish wind master, who was now hovering over the un-made guest bed with his legs crossed and a feral smirk on his face.
"Now, now," Jin said, shaking his head in disappointment. "I thought we were gonna have a nice brawl, you and me, without any runnin' off to save our dearest treasure! You can't just turn tail, now c'mon, I've got a few fun tricks I'd like to try on ya!" His statement was punctuated by a piercing scream from a few doors down that Kurama had no doubt belonged to Mitsuyo.
Kurama felt the rigidity of his spine, his fingernails cutting into the skin of his palms with how strongly his hands had fisted. The plants that were now coiling around the room and covering the walls were trembling. His teeth were hurting. He was seeing red. The buzzing continued.
"What power is this?" Kurama asked lowly, bringing his free hand up to touch his temple. "How have you managed to cause such confusion? I can barely think straight." It was only after saying this that he figured he probably shouldn't have revealed that. Then again, whatever force was doing it in the first place probably already knew.
Jin didn't seem put off by the change of subject. "Ah," he said with a pleased smile. "Well, that'd be the little slime-ball that came with me, ya see. He's a bit of a pain in the arse, but he can be mighty helpful when it comes to rattling people's brains. And seeing how you're the biggest one 'round here, figured it'd be a good idea to drag the dreg around, right?"
"Now," he finished, and the wind outside intensified, making the air around them almost vibrate with the force. "Let's have a grand battle, yeah?"
~`*`~
There was something profoundly messed-up with waking up and having a wad of sopping seaweed being held over a person's face, Mitsuyo decided. It was just wrong, on so many different levels. First, it was the melted marshmallows. Marshmallows were easy to deal with. They were white and puffy, and kind of looked like clouds. Clouds were friendly, and Mitsuyo had only yelled at Hiroshi through a mouth full of marshmallow-y goodness. Then the silly string. The silly string had been a little weird. Actually, it was horrible -- Mitsuyo had thought it was the remains of a spider web. Not as friendly, but it had been okay, and she had only chased Hiroshi for half an hour. Now, it was seaweed.
Hiroshi has reached a new low, she grumbled to herself, swatting away the drooping greenery with one hand and rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the other. Seaweed was just disgusting. And it smelled nasty. Mitsuyo considered the consequences Hiroshi would face with this new trick while working out a particularly hard bit of crust from the corner of her eye, when she realized that her other hand had not hit flesh.
Did I touch the seaweed on accident? she thought blearily, barely stifling a large yawn. She couldn't be surprised -- her eyesight was still a little blurred.
A strange, strangled moan made her eyes snap open.
That wasn't Hiroshi.
Mitsuyo tilted her head up again. And let out a loud scream.
Oh my god, that is the single-most disgusting creature I have ever had the displeasure to see! the brunette cried inwardly, holding a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hold down her dinner. Belatedly, she realized it was the same hand that had touched the creature in the first place, and let out another distressed screech while wiping the eerie, glowing slop from her lips and hand onto the couch. A small mantra was going on in her head consisting of, Gross, gross, GROSS!!
The slimy apparition groaned again, and reached out for her in an almost zombie-like manner. Recalling her training, Mitsuyo put on a determined face and leapt from the sofa, flipping over its head and grabbing onto the steel spindles on the second floor. She hung there for a second then climbed over the banister, just in time to avoid two more balls of glowing glop that landed right where her hands had been. She ignored it for now, looking over the balcony in order to calm her mind and tried to observe the demon critically.
It was vaguely human-shaped, only instead of flesh, it had a sickly blackish green skin pulled sloppily over its form. What would normally be hair was a stringy white substance that lay limply around its sagging shoulders, and its face was devoid of any structure. The demon was practically oozing the same glowing muck that Mitsuyo had on her hand. She thought it could pass off as a very moldy, human-shaped cut of cheese that was quickly melting. Mitsuyo wondered idly what was preventing it from falling apart and splattering on the floor, since the only thing she could see that was keeping it together was the thick white strips of fabric tightly wound about its arms and legs.
Only then did she realize how much noise seemed to be going on in her head. It was like having an annoying fly right next to each ear. Mitsuyo swatted at them just to make sure that wasn't the case, and was faintly angered when all her hands met was air. The buzzing was really getting irritating.
Of course, then something else caught her attention.
Apparently, Mitsuyo hadn't succeeded in wiping off the monster gunk from her hand. Her fingers were practically glued together, and flexing them was near impossible. Bringing her free hand to her face, she realized that her mouth was sealed shut, too, thanks to her stupidity.
Damn it! she cursed inwardly, seeing as that was the only way she could now.
A cracking sound once again made her concentration jump, and Mitsuyo was terrified to see that the previously fired scoops of slime were slowly squeezing the spindles they incased, bending the metal out of shape and causing the wood to snap.
If this is happening to the furniture after so little time, what'll happen to ME? Mitsuyo thought hysterically. I have to find Kurama.
~`*`~
It wasn't going well at all.
Kurama once again hastily wiped the blood from his brow, and adjusted his grip on his Rose Whip. From what Kurama had seen, Jin was a tough opponent to begin with. There was no question that Yusuke was probably stronger than anyone in their little group, and so Kurama knew that with his own natural powers, Jin would be difficult to beat. Having his body warped with Akio's Spirit Energy made Jin an even more of a problem.
Now, his plants lay in shambles across the floor, rips covering his limbs, chest, and forehead, and Jin was still floating in the middle of the room, perfectly unharmed.
Sometimes, Kurama really hated demons.
He lashed out, flicking his wrist in order to have the thorned vine twist and attack from behind, bringing his other hand up to summon the nearly dormant weeds from the opposite direction. Jin didn't even look intimidated, the mini tornado that incased him intensifying and knocking both attacks aside. Kurama frowned, placing his free hand on the ground, calling upon the last bits of his Spirit Energy as the floor beneath them crumpled under the knots of branches that started sprouting and roping towards the red-headed master. Effortlessly, Jin swung both his arms in order to bring out his Twin Tornado Fists, and once again, Kurama's plants were quite literally blown to smithereens. In a last ditch effort, Kurama grabbed his Rose Whip with both hands and swung it in a wide arch, hoping that the shreds from his last attack would provide enough of a camouflage that Jin wouldn't see the killer vine until it was too late.
Suddenly, the wind in the room kicked up another few notches, and Kurama's whip was ripped from his hands, leaving large gashes in its place. The fox cried out in a mixture of shock and pain, pulling his now injured palms close to his chest in a reflexive manner. Scowling, he watched warily as Jin levitated his way over to him, resting his hands on his crossed knees and smiling in a rather Urameshi-like way.
"Well, here I was, all wound up for a good fight, and you're all cut up and deflated, and I'm as airy as a fresh balloon!" Jin gloated, somewhere between prideful and disappointed. "I almost wish Urameshi were here just so I could be guaranteed some fun!"
Kurama narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth at the bitter taste of defeat he now felt flowing through his veins.
"You got your wish, Jin!" said an unexpected voice that sounded exactly like Yusuke's from one of the various cracks in the bedroom walls. Kurama looked up, just as surprised as Jin now looked. "Here I am! Spirit Gun!"
And before either of the room's occupants could do a thing, the back wall exploded with a blinding flash of blue energy.
.:AN:.
Note for this chapter: I had such a hard time writing for Jin. I have no doubts that this was obvious when it was read. I've never been around someone that spoke like him, and so trying to imitate that is very hard. Watching the clips that he was in helps only so much, so I just want everyone to know I tried. It's hard to accept this, since ever since I started this story, I've had people constantly complimenting me on my ability to keep the characters IN character, and I feel like I've failed somehow. Then again, that's just my thoughts. Both loveanime18 and saiyuri-dahlia have assured me that I've probably done the best I could, haha!
Anywho, this chapter was more for the building of the suspense, for the most part. The next chapter, I assure you, is the explosion. I'd tell you to stick around because it's gonna be big, but since I'm the author, that'd be kinda...well, pointless, I guess. Not to mention kind of arrogant. (smile) So I hope you enjoyed and will let me know your thoughts! Read and review and all that.
It's weird, but this story has been four years in the making. It wasn't supposed to be my big hit, and yet it was, and I'm so stunned by it all. It's a great feeling, having your writing appreciated by so many people. There's a point to this, I know, but since I can't really explain it, I'll just leave it as is. Thanks again, peeps!