HHHHEEEELLLLLOOOOOO! Ohmuhgawd guys I'm so sorry. I just lost all of my momentum and drive and plot and everything after my Dad's funeral. I'm just glad I had a dream and came up with a completely different ending that is so badass I just had to write it. I'm very happy I'm back to this story again. :) I missed Mickey-Jo!
Also, I'm planning on going back through and revising the last chapters. Nothing regarding the plot or storyline, but maybe bulking up the chapters, revising the wording, stuff like that, making it better. Reading through my story again to get my flow left me cringing in some points. Then again, I never really ~love~ what I write... I'll post an A/N whenever I get around to it, but I'm concentrating on moving the story forward before I go back.
Anyway, here's the next installment! Enjoy!
Chapter 11
The next morning Mickey-Jo was rudely awakened by Yusuke shaking her shoulder. She groaned and blearily opened one eye. Swatting at the boy did no good. He merely slapped her hand away and shook her more roughly, pulling her up into a sitting position. Her cheek hurt where she had passed out against the table, her back ached from the unnatural hunched over position. she could feel dried drool caked on the side of her mouth and absently wiped at it.
"Mickey-Jo, get up already!" He sounded exasperated. "I've been yelling at you for 10 minutes!"
As she sat up, the cowgirl shook her head and instantly regretted it. The room swam and she felt her gorge rise as a her stomach lurched like a pine tree in the wind. Groaning again she cradled her pounding head in her hands. How much did she drink last night? Memories were hazy. That usually was a sign she had made a fool out of herself. "Uuuuughhh..."
Yusuke grunted. "It's about time. Jeez, you're harder to wake than Kuwabara."
"Wha' time's it?" Mickey-Jo rasped. Her mouth was as dry as El Paso in the summer and tasted worse than rancid beef.
Yes, she knew what that tasted like.
"It's midmorning. Do you have any progress to report?" Koenma asked. His tone was clipped, aggravated.
Mickey-Jo felt a hand on her arm and turned a bloodshot eye to the toucher. It was Kurama with a glass of water and two white tablets. He offered them to her with an amused smile. Did he know something she didn't relating to last night? that would have to wait, sweet relief was just a few moments away. Her hand wavered as she took the glass and blessed pain relievers. She carefully pressed the tablets in her mouth and sipped the water. Sweet, cold water. There was no better thing.
Koenma cleared his throat impatiently. "Well? If we are through nursing the lightweight can we get on with this?"
The cowgirl sighed and scrunched up her brow, digging through the vague memories of last night to find the one she needed. Then it all came to her. The demon apparently teleporting all over the country, they were unable to pinpoint a location, until he disappeared off the map completely. Not even the most detailed yielded any results. She shook her head again, careful not to disturb the slush usurping her brain too much.
"We didn' find nothin'. He jumped 'round like a cricket on fire then disappeared. Couldn' find him again." She mumbled. Her stomach made a rumbling noise and a large bubble of something started making its way up her throat. No amout of swallowing stopped the upward push. She grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on to catch the spew she knew was coming. It was her hat. Inwardly she bemoaned the violation of her treasured cowboy hat, but it was better than ralphing all over the table.
She was pleasantly surprised when all that came out was a large, growly belch. The force pushed her head back and her eyes widened at the sheer volume of the burp. Her eyes darted to the rest gathered around, shocked. The faces of the boys registered hilarity, disgust and amazement all into one. She grinned sheepishly.
Koenma took a deep breath and let his head fall back. His fists clenched and he worked that pacifier furiously. "This only means one thing then," he said, referring to their information regarding last night, wisely ignoring the most unladylike action of Mickey-Jo.
Yusuke moaned. "Oh don't tell me..."
Koenma looked around at everyone, meeting everyone's eyes. Yusuke's agitated, Kuwabara's confused, Kurama's knowing, Hiei's serious, and Mickey-Jo's drunken, bloodshot eyes.
"He's gone to Demon World."
Mickey-Jo's blood turned to ice when she heard those words. Her brain sobered up very quickly as she processed this information. Her search was over. She would never get Jack's killer. The thrice-cursed demon was gone from her reach. That no-good, soul-stealin', shit-diggin' snake had gotten away scott-free and now she was at loose ends with no closure. Her rage built and built and she didn't hear Koenma go on speaking. Her mind suddenly decided to catch onto his last words.
"-portal to Demon World in the morning." He finished.
Her hands flew up. "Wait, what?!" She shouted out. "Demon World? We're gonna go after him?"
Everyone turned to look at her. Koenma nodded warily."Of course. A portal to Demon World is no trouble under these circumstances. The demon HAS TO be stopped. There is no other option. Normally I would just send my team, but since you have assets that would be extremely helpful in this situation, I'm going to have to insist you go along."
All at once her blood roared through her veins. Her adrenaline pumped like a butter churner on meth. The last traces of the alcohol from last night faded away and she saw in sparkling clarity. She would get to chase this troll back to his bridge and slaughter him and dance in his blood, and get to take out as many demons as she could along the way.
"Mickey-Jo, look at me." Koenma ordered. She swung her fevered gaze to meet the dead-serious one of Koenma's. His brown eyes her cold. Mickey-Jo narrowed her eyes, feeling uneasy. "You have to swear to me you will not go on a demon killing spree while in Demon World."
Her killing rage dampened. Her teeth ground out her frustration on themselves. She opened her mouth to ask why and Koenma cut her off. "I cannot have you killing every demon you come across. Demon World is their territory. It is a serious crime for a human to go into Demon World and start a massacre, just like it is for a Demon to come to the human world and do the same. You *will not* start a war on my hands. Do you understand me?"
Mickey-Jo stared at him belligerently for a minute before nodding. "Fine. I promise to keep m'hands and weapons and such to m'self, 'cept for that demon we're huntin'. Cross m'heart, hope to die."
Koenma nodded in satisfaction and turned to the rest of them, hashing out the plans and possible hiding spots. Unfortunately, maps would only help a little bit on the search. Demon World was vast and constantly in a state of change. Multiple levels the size of continents were constantly shifting, breaking apart and forming new ones. However, with the help of the demon's finger, and Mickey-Jo's aptitude for blood magic, they could find a way straight to the demon with little trouble.
The cowgirl stood up and announced she was going to check her supplies. After getting nods from the group she left the room and went outside. Ol'Boy and Dazzle barked and whinnied their greetings. Her friends calmed her down as they rushed up to her. Ol'Boy twining around her legs like a cat, Dazzle lipping at her hair and nudging her with his nose.
"Howdy there, fellas." She scratched the hound's ears and rubbed the pony's neck, murmuring sweet nonsense to them. A pack of jerky made its way into her hands from her saddlebags. She tossed a few pieces to Ol'Boy before grabbing the two large bowls from the ground. After filling them with water and watching her animals start to drink, she sat down by her pile of gear and started going through every pocket.
"Oh lord, Mickey-Jo. Didn' your momma teach ya basic hygene?" She grumbled as she pulled out her clothes. All of them were filthy. With all the excitement of the past two weeks she had neglected her clothes and with much trepidation, she lifted her arm and sniffed. Her face crinkled in disgust then reddened in shame. She had spent all night around those boys smellin' like a manure pile?! "It's a wonder their noses didn't burn off!"
"It was actually quite difficult to tolerate." Hiei's voice sounded from the porch."Luckily Kurama carries roses around wherever he goes."
Mickey-Jo whipped her head so fast her neck cracked. Her blush deepened as she realized Hiei must have seen the whole thing. She dropped her eyes and started gathering up her dirty garments. "Why didn' ya say anythin' then? 'Stead of lettin' me stink up the room, ya could'a pointed it out."
"Yes, I could have," the demon mused, "But then I would have missed this episode. Humans are quite amusing when they are humiliated."
She glared at him. He sneered back. She took angry steps until she was right up in his face and stuck her finger out a mere inch from his nose. "Now you listen here, I know ya don't like me, and I don't rightly like you. So if you don' want how we first met to take th' other road it could'a taken, you best keep your distance, demon spit." She leaned back. "And for the record, I'm not near humiliated. Yea, a lil' embarrased, but you aren't worth wasting being humiliated on." Mickey-Jo huffed as his mocking sneer never faltered.
She slammed up the steps, turned to face him, and gave a sarcastic curtsey. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna find a washroom."
The next morning, they all gathered behind Genkai's temple. Each person had a small bag filled with some necesseties. They would be living off the land, and planned to cash in a few favors from demons Hiei and Kurama knew. The less they had to carry, the better.
Koenma checked to make sure they were ready and took out his pacifier. It glowed with a soft blue light, then swirls of energy condensed around it. With Koenma's shout of the power word the stored energy blasted out and a swirling vortex appeared ten feet in front of him. Dazzle danced in place nervously as the wind whipped around them, pure energy crackling like lightning. Mickey-Jo tighted the reins, mumuring to the horse. She laid a comforting hand on Ol'Boy when he started whining. Dazzle's teleporting ability was nothing like this. This a portal of some magnitude. The pure power floating through the air made her nose itch and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She had a new respect for the Prince. After a minute the vortex stabalized and they were looking into a doorway to Demon World. The ruler of Spirit World tossed a communicator to the Spirit Detective and motioned they should proceed.
Yusuke led the way, giving Koenma a jaunty salute. Mickey-Jo led Dazzle to the portal and calmly urged him and Ol'Boy through it when they walked. Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei followed more sedately. With all of their missions together, portal travel was no big deal.
On the other side, Mickey-Jo was frozen in awe and slight fear. They were dropped off at the base of a mountain. Well, calling it a mountain was an understatement. Not even the Rockies in America came close to the size of this chuck of rock. And the colors! Mickey-Jo's eyes were assaulted with the crispness and clarity of the color spectrum of Demon World. Everything seemed brighter, the reds redder, yellow more shocking, blue so cool you got chills. And the smells! Scents she couldn't even name teased her nose, the air so much cleaner it was a dizzying rush.
Faintly, she heard the voices of the others calling to her. Shaking her head helped to bring her out of her stunned stupor. Everyone was looking at her, again.
"If you're done playing the stupid human, may we start moving?" Hiei bit out.
Mickey-Jo swung into the saddle and clucked to Dazzle. The horse moved out nervously, snuffling the air and ground before taking steps. Ol'Boy was acting the puppy, yipping happily and rolling in the strange grass. He raced in front of the cowgirl and horse and dodged around the boy's legs. The hound took off towards the mountain, intoxicated by the smells and sights.
As she neared the boys, Mickey-Jo pushed her hat more snugly on her head. "Where we headed?"
"I have an old...friend... who lives a little ways up this mountain. She is very wise and could tell us some information on the demon's whereabouts." Kurama replied, pacing her.
Hiei's stern gaze caught her eye. "Call your dog back, woman. Something out here could eat him."
Frantic, Mickey-Jo searched for Ol'Boy. She could just make out his shape in the distance. He had reached the slope of the mountain and was racing up it, a small could up dust being kicked up behind it. The cowgirl rose in her stirrups and stuck her thumb and forefinger in her mouth. The whistle she blew was so loud and piercing it echoed and echoed. Ol'Boy stopped short, spraying rocks and dust. After a moments deliberation, the hound started galloping back towards them. His tongue lolled out and his ears flopped to his bounding. He reached the group extremely winded but still happy as his tail wagged like a beater and he shuffled and danced.
"You stupid mutt, ya can't jus' go runnin' off like that." Mickey-Jo said gently to the hound. Ol'Boy just whuffed back and trotted before them, sniffing the ground and perking at unfamiliar scents. She nodded a thanks to Hiei. No, she didn't like the demon, but she knew when thanks was due. Hiei merely settled his pack more securely on his shoulder and started forward.
"MJ, you need to stay in the middle of us." Kuwabara said, coming around to her left side.
When she would have balked, Yusuke spoke up. "This is Demon World, MJ. This isn't like the Human World where the demons are more cautious. Home field advatage, and you're a human on their turf. It's best if you stay in the middle."
"And it would be best if your hound stayed very close." Kurama added.
That made sense, Mickey-Jo thought. She let the boys surround her and Dazzle and the group made their way towards the enourmous mountain. It seemed to rise forever, its peak shrouded in purple and blue clouds. She suddenly felt very small, and almost vulnerable. She wasn't the best against demons even in her home world, where they were mainly weak and stupid. She was actually here, where the baddest of the bad resided and human flesh was a rare commodity. If a demon killed her here, there was nothing she could do about it. It chafed her how she would have to rely on the boys to keep her alive in this dangerous land, but she was secretly glad they were here. And on some level, she was even more grateful that two of their party were demons. Traveling behind enemy lines was best with an actual enemy. Well, she conceded in her mind, more like double agents.
The path up the mountain was thankfully well marked. It looked like it was frequently used, the dirt packed and worn down. Up the slope a ways Mickey-Jo could barely make out some sort of structure. It could either be fairly close and just a small building, or they were in for a long walk.
"How far is this place?" she asked Kurama.
Yusuke glanced back at her. "What does it matter? It's not like you're actually walking or anything."
"Ya got somethin' 'gainst plain ol' curiosity?" she retorted.
Kurama silenced Yusuke with raised eyebrows and looked at the cowgirl. "Gala's compound is three miles up the mountain."
"Gala, eh? Sounds fancy." She grinned, then peered closer at Kurama. "Bless my boots! Ye's blushin'! Hah!" She laughed loudly. "So, is this a real good friend, Kurama?"
A secretive smile formed under the red-head's blushing cheeks and he cleared his throat. "You could say that."
Hiei chuckled, a smirk on his face. "The fox was... as you humans say...quite the fox before he was dumbed down by the humans."
Kuwabara's face lit up. "Kurama was actually in love once? Being in love is awesome..." His face took on a dreamy cast.
Kurama shook his head, his blush going away. "No, Kuwabara, we weren't in love, we just.. worked well together at the time."
The boy's dreamy look faded and he processed this, then he took on the blush Kurama had abandoned. "Oh so you uh... just... uh."
"They were fuck buddies, Kuwabara..." Yusuke deadpanned. He shook his head at his friendly sensibilities.
"Yea... ok..."
Kurama's look turned pensive as they continued on. Mickey-Jo noticed and nudged Dazzle closer to him. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Somethin' wrong, Red?" she asked.
"Not wrong, exactly, " he admitted. "I'm just a little concerned about your presence. Gala isn't exactly the human-favoring type."
The cowgirl pointed to the other two humans. "What 'bout them two? They's human too."
"Yes, but Yusuke and Kuwabara are already well known around Demon World, they aren't likely to be messed with, considering Yusuke is the Spirit Detective, and Kuwabara has made a name for himself in his own right. You on the other hand..."
Her eyes hardened. "I'm just dead weight."
"Oh don't be so dramatic human." Hiei cut in. "You have some use, or else Koenma wouldn't have let you come with us. It would have been unavoidable suicide for you to come otherwise. You're unknown, you're power is negligable, and carrying around a trophy case of demon fingers doesn't help your case. Be thankful you have us to keep you from being killed." His eyes cut through her, sharp as the sword he carried.
Mickey-Jo frowned at his words. She was secure in herself, but more and more in the short time she had spent with this odd group, her own confidence in herself, and her abilities had cracked. But she wasn't about to let them on to that. Mockingly, she dipped her head to Hiei. "Well then thank ya kindly, demon-spit, for keepin' my sorry ass outta the grave."
An eye-roll was all she got in reply.
Please remember to review! Hopefully I still have my followers!
I LOVE YOU GAIS!