Southern Fried Ch. 2
AN: Thank so much to my reviewers! I hope you like this next installment of Southern Fried! 3 *kiss kiss*
Be warned, this chapter has lots of dialouge.
A few days later as Kurama was walking home from school, the strains of a lullaby creeped into his ears. He stopped, tense. The last time he heard a violin it had been a trap. Curiously though, he felt no compulsion, no sense of urgency to find out where it was coming from, only peace, and calm. He listened for a few moments, a small smile on his face. It was a nice lullaby, lilting and sweet.
He walked across the street (looking both ways of course, safety first!) and down the other side to where the nearby park was. He realized this was the way Hiei had come that interesting day when they met the girl. Then, the music paused for a moment, and erupted into an undeniably country jig. Kurama narrowed his eyes. Could this be the girl again? It had to be! It was too much to be mere coincidence. He picked up his pace. He was suddenly feeling happy, animated and excited. Songs manipulating emotions? Again, too much for coincidence!
Closer to the park, he heard the sounds of laughter. Child laughter. And the barking of a dog. He started running then. This had to be that strange foreign girl!
As Kurama turned into the park, he was greeted with the sight of the same cowgirl, sawing away on her violin, bow working furiously as she stomped the ground with one foot. Her case was laying open at her feet. That droopy eared hound dog was on his back legs. A few children were standing there laughing at the dog. Their mothers stood a few paces behind them smiling fondly.
With a grand flourish, the girl finished her jig and struck a pose. Her bow arm flung into the air and her head lifted high with a wide smile. The small crowd clapped. Children raced forward to pet the dog. The hound sat down, tail beating a furious tempo on the ground. Mothers came forward and dropped a bit of money in the case.
"Thank ya, thank ya kindly, ma'am." The girl said, bowing and tipping her hat.
Kurama walked forward. He wondered if she would recognize him from the other day. Her wink when she looked around and saw him said she did. She sat on the bench behind her and watched the kids pet her dog.
"He really likes scratchin' behind his ears there, chillens." She said. As the children all tried to scratch the hound's ears at once, she turned to Kurama.
"Well, howdy there, sugar." She flashed him a wide smile. One of her canine teeth was set high up into the gum, making it slightly crooked.
The redhead smiled softly back. "Hello again. I don't believe I caught your name the other day."
She scratched her nose. Turning to the kids she said. "Now run along back to ya mommas, chillens. Me and Ol'Boy gots some business to take care of."
Although there was much "Aww!" "No!" "Waaaaah!" and "No, I want to stay!" the kids went back to their parents and dissapated.
The cowgirl sat back on the bench, slinging an arm across the back and crossing her ankle over her knee. "Th' name's Mickey-Jo. Might I have the pleasure of your'n?"
"I'm Kurama. You play well." He gestured to the violin on the bench beside her.
"Thank ya' kindly. Me and Sissy go way back." She ran a finger down the strings.
"Sissy?" Kurama blinked. She named her violin Sissy?
Mickey-Jo chuckled. "Back home, everythin' worth somethin' gots a name." She turned a shrewd glance on him. "Is there 'nother reason you came out here? I cain't believe it was just my fiddlin' that caught your attention."
"Actually, it was." He looked to her violin case littered with money. "Are you always so prosperous?"
Her smile was venemous and didn't reach her eyes. "You callin' me a cheat there, darlin'? I know you know what I can do with my fiddlin'."
Kurama shook his head. "No, not at all. I'm just curious."
"Good. 'Cause I'd hate to have to land a shiner on that pretty boy face o'yours." Her grin was mischevious. "Back home, them's fightin' words."
The redhead laughed then. "No, I'm not doubting your honor. I was actually walking home from school and your music caught my attention."
"Yea well, a girl's gotta do what she can t' get by. A nine-to-fiver wouldn't 'xactly fit my time needs. I gotta be free to come and go like th' wind on the prairie." She made a wide arc with her hand.
"And why is that, if I may ask?"
She flashed him another grin. "A girl's gotta keep some secrets, sugar." She got up and gathered up the money from the violin case. After getting her instrument settled, she locked the case and slung it over her shoulder. "Get up, Ol' Boy. Time to get movin'."
The hound got to his feet with a groan and ambled over to her.
"It's been nice havin' this lil' chat with ya, Kurama." She tipped her hat. "'Till next time."
Kurama watched girl and dog go out of the park. She whistled the same tune she was just playing, but he didn't feel any unnatural surge of emotion like when she was on her violin. He sighed softly. She didn't fit here. A cowgirl in Japan. The thought was laughable. She was brash and pretty stereotypical. The other day she had mentioned she was "hunting" something specific. What was it? He had a feelings their paths would cross many times in the near future.
Later that day on the other end of town, Yusuke was out with Keiko helping her run errands. (Read: being her shopping cart) He was loaded up already and she was trying to add some bulky packages to his overflowing arms.
"Keiko! That won't fit! I can't carry anymore!"
"Don't be silly Yusuke! Of course you can!"
"I'm telling you, it's gonna be unbalanced. And I'm gonna drop everything! And then your parents won't have any eggs!"
"Well then don't drop them, silly." She perched a large bag of flour on the teetering pile.
That one item was the one that did it. Yusuke pitched forward, recovered, but overcorrected back too much. Keiko's gasp was drowned out by Yusuke's yelling as he started falling backward.
"Whoa, whoa there, stanger!" A strong hand was planted in his back, he felt the other grab the top of the load to settle it. Yusuke regained his balance and felt some weight lifted off his arms. He looked over his still burdened arms into the smiling face of the cowgirl that tried to kill Hiei.
"You! What are you doing here?!"
She raised an eyebrow. "Well, 'pparently savin' your rear end!" Turning to Keiko, she dipped her head. "Howdy, miss."
"Hi! So you're the one he was telling me about!"
"Depends on what ya heard," She chuckled.
"Oh, just that you managed to catch Hiei, and you were traveling with a dog and pony." Keiko grabbed some bags off the ground and held out her hands to take the ones from Mickey-Jo. "I'll take those. Thanks for not letting them get crushed on the ground!"
"Hey what about me?!" Yusuke yelled from behind the wall of purchased goods.
"Oh, and for saving him too. I can carry those. I'm pretty sure I was done shopping."
Mickey-Jo shook her head. "Naw, miss. I can carry these for ya. It'll be my pleasure."
Keiko smiled. "Well if you're sure! Thank you so much. My parent's restaurant isn't that far away. That's what all this is for."
"I'll be able t' kill two birds with one stone! Me and Ol' Boy were lookin' fer a place to find some grub. Lead on, miss!"
Keiko looked worried. She hadn't noticed the dog. "Oh.. uh.. I don't know if my parents allow dogs inside..."
"We'll get all that settled when we get there, miss. Now which way do we go?"
Keiko started walking. "My name is Keiko. You don't have to call me miss."
"It's mighty nice ta meet ya Keiko," Micky-Jo fell into step beside her.
"I don't think Yusuke told me your name."
"I didn't ask!" Yusuke called from behind them.
"My name's Mickey-Jo." She dipped her head again. "The hound there is Ol' Boy."
At the mention of his name, Ol' Boy lifted his head and panted happily.
Yusuke started laughing. "Mickey-Jo?! Oh, that's PERFECT."
Mickey-Jo glared behind her even though the detective's face was covered with packages. "You got some sorta problem with m'name there, mule boy?"
The mountain of goods was still shaking. "Haha! No, no. It just fits you."
Shrugging, she turned back forward.
At the restaurant, Keiko's parents thanked Mickey-Jo repeatedly and after much reassuring Ol'Boy was housebroken and impeccably trained, they allowed woman and dog inside. Mickey-Jo ordered a large plate of beef and rice, with an extra plate of just plain beef. "For the dog," she said with a wink.
She set her violin down on the booth seat with extra care. Yusuke slid in on the other side of the table. Ol'Boy crawled underneath, draping himself over his owner's feet.
Yusuke looked at the girl. "So... Mickey-Jo... what brings you all the way out here?"
She grinned at him. "Jus' a lil' bit of business is all."
"Business that has to do with hunting demons?" Yusuke cocked an eyebrow.
Lowering her voice she said, "Do ya really think this needs t'be discussed here, in front o' yer girlfriend, and her vera human parents?"
"Look, Keiko knows everything about what I do, and what happens. Plus, her parents are busy cooking your food. There's no one in this restaurant. Your 'business' you're here for already put one of my friends in danger, so you better tell me."
"Or you'll be runnin' me outta town there, sherrif?" She grinned and leaned forward. Her hazel eyes brimming with laughter.
Yusuke lifted up his index finger. "I may have to do more than that if I find out what you're doing is dangerous to my friends and this city."
Mickey-Jo immediately turned serious. She leaned back against the booth, lips tight. "I don't rightly believe in tellin' everyone else my business. But I can promise ya th' only ones who's gonna get hurt are the guilty parties I'm after."
At that moment Keiko walked up with the food. "Here you go! And I brought your favorite Yusuke!" She made him scoot over and sat down. "So what brings you to Japan, Mickey-Jo?"
At that moment, Mickey-Jo had taken a large bite of food. She chewed furiously, swallowed, dapped her mouth with a napkin, and smiled softly. "Jus' seein' what I can see."
"Oh, that's nice." Keiko smiled. "Where are you from?"
Mickey-Jo swallowed again and took a drink of her water before answering with a large grin. "I'm from the great state of Texas. Where the weather changes with a blink of an eye, and killin' somebody gets ya fried."
"Is that what happened to you, only they messed up?" Yusuke mumbled around a mouth full of food.
She glared at him. "It ain't polite to talk with ya mouth full, sugar."
"And what's with this 'sugar' talk?" Yusuke grumbled. "You were calling us that the other day, but you don't know us!"
"Where I'm from, everyone is either sugar, darlin', or honey."
"And where is that horse of yours? Wandering around the city?"
"Dazzle? Nah he's back at camp." Mickey-Jo continued eating. She grabbed a few bits of the plain beef and stuck her hand under the table. The sound of Ol'Boy's tail thumping on the floor drifted up.
Keiko and Yusuke looked at each other. Camp? "Where are you staying?" Keiko asked.
Mickey-Jo shrugged. "In and around the moutains back yonder. Vera pretty country, that. And if I may, this food is vera good. My complimen's to ya parents, miss Keiko." She continued eating.
Thankfully, they took the hint. The rest of the meal continued in slightly tense silence, only broken up by the sounds of Ol'Boy's tail. When she was done, the cowgirl sat back with a contented sigh. "Mighty fine grub over here. Now, I'll never pass up a good ol' chicken fried steak, but this sure does hit th' spot. Ain't that right Ol'Boy?" The hound whuffed softly.
Yusuke pushed his empty plate away. "Tell me, how exactly did you work that trap on Hiei the other day?"
Mickey-Jo gave a sly grin. she gotup, grabbed a wad of money from her pocket and set it down on the table. "Like I told the red-headed boy earlier today, a girl cain't give away all her secrets. Ol'Boy, come on. Let's move along!"
She stopped at the door. "Thank ya 'gain for the meal, miss Keiko. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon." With a tip of her ratty cowboy hat, she was out the door, the hound trotting behind her.