Happy Saturday, everyone! At least, I hope it's happy for you guys, with these stomach cramps I'm not so sure for myself. Ugh... But I got the chapter done! It's the shortest one yet, and it heralds the end of the first act. That's right; we've finally gotten to the reunion between Jin and Touya. To the few people who saw this one coming, way to go! You guessed the game! To the rest, be warned; you're probably going to hate me for this one. Aheh...
Sending out another thank you shout today, this time to one of my oldest and closest friends and readers. I swear I wouldn't do half the stuff I did if I didn't have this girl there to encourage me even as she scolds me for character abuse. She's an excelent friend and an awesome person to work with on my stories. Rizu Komesu, thanks a million for sticking around all these years. I'm still going to blame you for what I did to poor Touya in that one-shot, so there.
Actually, I should probably mention that, too. It seems that whenever I get bored and start jotting stuff on paper I always end up abusing one of two Yu Yu Hakusho characters- Yusuke Urameshi or the hexed ice-user Touya. Well, poor Touya was unfortunate enough to end up tossed into a mini-fic that actually got put online. If you guys want to see just how cruel I can be, go check out Life's a Drag. Consider it my Easter gift to all of you. Poor, poor Touya. If I'm not writing abusive minis about the guy, I'm getting the crap beat out of him in Dark Tournament. Okay, so I'm actually getting really, really good with the guy in that game. But the fic is still... just... oh, go read it and you'll see.
So let's go!
Just when Mana thought her Monday couldn't get too much worse, she saw Yuki approaching her between classes. The girl had already overslept that morning, leaving herself no real time to get ready for school. Entirely Jin's fault, she decided, as she never would have needed to sleep in if they hadn't somehow ended up sitting on her couch chatting through half the night. Honestly, she couldn't even remember having gone to bed; Jin must have carried her in. The thought annoyed her slightly; he was entirely too friendly sometimes. Then again, she would have been late for school had he not also taken the time to come in and wake her up once he'd figured out she was running late.
That hadn't stopped her from actually being late, not once it had become apparent that she still needed to cook. In her rush, she'd also managed to forget to pack a lunch, which meant she'd be going without at lunch today... and she was getting hungrier by the minute just thinking about it. And now, to top it all off... ah, fiznit.
Yuki leaned against Mana's desk, her palms pressed flat against the surface. "So." Shit... "Who was he?"
Mana looked up at her blankly, mentally throwing every swear she knew at the black-eyed teen. "Who was who?"
"Don't play stupid, Koyama." The girl was practically hissing. "Tall, athletic build, big blue eyes. The redhead. Who was he?"
Mana forced herself to go with a more easygoing answer than the rather crude dismissal her instinct was telling her to use. "He's just a friend of mine. I already told you his name."
"Well, yes, you did. Jin, right?" The look on the girl's face reminded Mana of an animal stalking its prey. The blonde shifted; she wasn't going to be hunted that easily. "So what high school does he go to?"
She thought...? Oh, for pity's sake, she thought he was in high school?! He didn't look that young! "I don't see what it matters. He's not from around here anyway."
"Really?" Yuki actually sat gingerly on the edge of Mana's desk. "So what was he doing out with you?"
This could not be happening... Mana forced herself to remain calm. The teacher would be getting there in just a few minutes and Yuki would have to go back to her desk then. She thought fast. "We knew each other as kids. His parents were friends with my mother. He was in town for the weekend, so he decided to drop by."
"Ah." Yuki studied her nails; Mana could practically feel two of the other girls around them leaning closer. "That must suck, having your boyfriend life that far away."
The blonde stared. Was she just stupid? "He's not my boyfriend."
"Really?" Yuki leaned closer. "You're sure about that?"
Mana gave her a level stare. "Positive. He is not my boyfriend."
"Good." Yuki sounded suspiciously cheerful as she headed back to her desk. "Then we shouldn't have any problems."
For the life of her, the blonde didn't want to know what that meant.
The school day seemed to drag on forever just to get to lunch. By the time the break rolled around, Mana found she desperately needed air. The classroom was just too stuffy, even near the windows. She needed to get outside. Pushing her way through the groups of students in the hallway, Mana headed for the stairs up to the roof. Air...
The cold was enough to stop her in her tracks. Mana froze, her hands still on the door. She'd barely opened it a crack and already she could feel the cold. She knew that feeling; it was the same one she'd felt searching for Touya. But what was he doing at her school? She knelt, trying to peer through the door, and hissed silently to herself. Of course. Urameshi was up there, too. She watched as he paced, an irritable look on his face. "So that's it. Until Hiei decides to show up again, we have nothing."
There was a moment of silence, and then a voice Mana had never heard before spoke up. "Are you sure Kurama has no idea where he's gone? I don't like the idea of leaving this to Hiei's whims."
"I've already talked to Kurama. He really doesn't know where Hiei is, but he's looking. Believe me, he wants to find Jin just as much as we do."
Mana had to force herself to hold still. Damn it. Damn it. This wasn't right, this wasn't fair... somebody upstairs had to be having a very good laugh at her. All along, Touya had been with him? Mana gritted her teeth, cursing silently. Then the other detective Jin had been talking about... "What about the person who loaned you the demon compass? Might they be able to help us?"
A third voice cut in, another one she recognized- Kazuma Kuwabara. "That could work. She does-"
"No." Urameshi was shaking his head firmly. "That's not an option. Sorry, Touya, but we can't ask for her help."
Why that son of a... "May I ask why not?" That voice was coming from the left of the door. Mana pushed it open another inch, trying to see. No luck...
Urameshi was staring out over the school. "Honestly? Because I just don't want to get her involved." Mana clenched her fist at her side. That jerk, that... that... "She's a good kid. Pretty smart, too. The way I see it is, she can do a lot more with her life than detective work, but only if she lives that long. I don't need to ask for her help just when she finally seems to be getting discouraged."
That... that... the door nearly closing on her nose shook her back into reality, that and a small almost-chuckle from the other side. "I take it she's not a fighter, then?"
"They called her a medic. Apparently she's pretty good fighting other humans, but that doesn't mean anything against apparitions. Koyama can't regenerate her own energy, so she can't use any energy-based attacks to fight. The lowest C-class could tear her apart. Honestly, I'd rather see her give it up now and be a doctor or something than throw her life away like that."
She needed to say something. She needed to speak up, she needed to act, she needed to... Mana rested her forehead on the door. She couldn't find her voice if she wanted to. So all this time, he'd just been hoping she'd go and do something else with her life so she wouldn't get herself killed? There was movement on the other side of the door as someone stepped over next to Yusuke Urameshi. The healer felt numb, detached almost, as she observed him. So that was Touya. Jin was right, he was small. "Then Hiei really is our best chance."
"I still think we should as Koyama." Mana blinked. Kuwabara was standing up for her? "You've seen her stand in the wind like she's listening to it. I think she could find him."
"We're not getting her involved." Urameshi flopped to the ground. "And that's final." Mana pulled back from the door, her eyes stinging. So that was what he thought of her, then. He couldn't even resent her properly, he just wanted her to quit and move on so... "Touya? Something up?"
Mana raised her head just as the cold apparition looked away. "It's nothing. I should be going now, before anyone else comes up here." She saw his eyes slide back towards the door. He was looking right at her. Mana swallowed; Jin had been right. No pupils...
Urameshi stretched. "Yeah, good idea. Mom's tanked again, so go ahead and hang out at my place for a while, she probably won't even notice. I promised Keiko I'd actually stay in school all day today, so I'm stuck."
"I don't think she meant sitting on the roof all day as in school, Urameshi." Mana slowly pulled the door shut as Kuwabara 'scolded' the detective. So that was it. She knew where Touya was now. Releasing the handle, she heard the door click softly into place. Wasn't that what she'd wanted, to prove she could figure it out on her own? And she had... hadn't she?
Turning, she hurried back down the stairs. Yuki and her friends looked up as she ran into the classroom, but she ignored them as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She heard Hachi calling her to wait as she brushed past the desks towards the exit, but neither of the twins could catch her before she was out the door. Screw afternoon classes, the blonde told herself. Right now she had other things to worry about. She just didn't care any more.
Her pace only slowed once she was a few blocks from her apartment. What, exactly, did she think she was going to say once she got home? What was she going to tell Jin? This was sudden, abrupt... unexpected. She hadn't planned on this. She didn't know what to do...
No. Of course she knew what to do. Mana shook herself firmly. She would go home, tell Jin she'd found Touya, lead him to where his friend was, and be done with it. Demons belonged in the Makai, away from humans. It was time for her 'guest' to go home. That was why they had been searching all along.
Jin was sprawled out on the swing. He looked perplexed as she jumped onto the balcony. "Ello, there, yer home early."
Mana stared at him, trying to decide what she could possibly say, and finally just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "You know, when somebody asks you if a person has any unusual features, blue hair does count."
Jin's eyes went wide. "Ya found 'im? Ya found Touya?" The apparition jumped up, grinning. "Knew ya'd help me, I did. Where is he?"
"He's staying in town. We can go there now, if you'd like." Mana shifted, and then yelped. Whatever response she expected, it was not for Jin to pick her up and give her a hug. "Put me down!"
The demon grinned, setting her back down. "So where do we go now? I think yer gonna like Touy, I really do. Didja actually talk to him or wot? Where-"
The redhead was starting to talk too fast for her to understand... and his ears were getting pointy. Mana groaned. "Jin, calm down."
To her amazement, he actually did. Jin stopped chattering and just stood there, staring at her. The healer shifted, uncomfortable with how intense his gaze suddenly was. "What?"
"Ya gonna be okay?" Jin reached over, ruffling her hair. "Ya look like ya been havin' a rough day."
"I'm fine." Mana tossed her book bag inside. "Come on, get your hat. If we hurry, we can still catch him."
The redhead nodded before reaching over one more time to ruffle her hair. "Thanks, Mana. Yer a good girl."
"Thanks," she mumbled, but didn't really mean it...
The girl was down.
Jin examined his cap, twirling it on his finger a time or two. Something was eating at her. If Mana thought she was hiding it, she wasn't doing a very good job. Maybe he should try and stay a few more days? He'd finally gotten her to laugh, too, even if he hadn't meant to...
The healer was still standing on the balcony when he went back out. He stared; hadn't she said she hated going out in her school uniform? "Yer not gonna change first?" Mana stared at him blankly; he reached over and poked her. "I thought ya don't like yer uniform."
"I don't." He stared at her until she sighed. "Okay, I'll go change."
"Good." Jin tilted his head. "Do ya think we could mebe get ice cream one more time afore I go?"
The girl stared at him... and almost, almost smiled. "Yeah, I think we can manage that."
Jin waited as she ducked into her room. So she'd found Touya, all on her own. Good lass, although she seemed decidedly not cheerful about it. The wind master frowned slightly to himself; the girl was going to be left all alone again once he was gone. He really needed to suggest she get a pet or something. What kind of pet would suit her, though? Most of the stuff he'd seen kept as pets wasn't that nice, but that was where he came from. Here in the human world they had things like cats and dogs. Maybe a little cat would suit her? What else was fluffy...
Mana stepping back out onto the balcony interrupted his thoughts. The girl was wearing the same yellow sundress he'd seen her in over a week before as she jumped to the fire escape. "Come on. Let's go."
They walked down the street in silence. Jin watched the healer as they went, contemplating how to get her to laugh again just one more time. He couldn't think of a way, not when the first time had been an accident. Sighing finally, he reached over and gave the girl a poke. "Hey, Mana."
Wow, that was a flat expression. "What?"
"Yer gonna let me stay with ya again, right?" The girl blinked, staring up at him. "Once I go home. When I come back to visit, yer gonna let me stay with ya, aren't ya?"
"I... I guess so." Mana shifted almost uncomfortably. Jin tilted his head. "I don't know why you'd want to, but okay."
"Bah!" The blonde actually jumped several inches when he jabbed her in the side. "I'd want to visit ya 'cause we're friends now, is it that hard to understand? Yer the one who asked the other day if I was comin' back, so don't look so glum about it."
The look the girl gave him was a perplexing one. He honestly couldn't tell if she was hurt or happy or what. Finally, she nodded, and while she didn't exactly smile she was no longer frowning, either. Heading into the ice cream shop, she even seemed a bit less depressed. Jin let her make the orders, waiting by the door as she did so; after all, she told him, there was no reason they couldn't walk and eat at the same time. The wind master wasn't so sure about that, but he decided not to argue. Mana had a sad little almost-smile on his face as she handed him the cone. "Come on. We should hurry."
"Ya rush too much." Jin walked along side the girl. "Gonna hafta come back a lot, I am, to be sure ya keep out of trouble. Otherwise ya might forget how to smile again, and we don't want that none. Yer cuter when ya smile." Mana's cheeks turned pink as she resolutely turned a corner. Jin raised an eyebrow; she always did that when the word 'cute' came up. They were headed towards the last area they'd been searching. "Wot's a matter, there? Yer getting' all colored up on me, ya are."
The girl barely mumbled in reply. "Why do you do this to me?"
The redhead tilted his head, catching a drip from his ice cream before he answered. "I don't know. Mebe 'cause ya make it fun?" He gave her a light poke in the side; she made a soft almost-squeaking noise. "And 'cause ya do that, too."
"Stop it!" Wow, he actually got her to whine. The girl was making a sulky face; Jin chuckled as she 'chastised' him. "You're such a brat sometimes."
"And yer stubborn. If ya don't smile for me soon, I swear I'm gonna hafta tickle ya."
The girl gave him a look so flat that for a moment she reminded him of Touya. "You're joking, right?"
"Do I look like the kinda guy who'd joke about tickles?" Jin reached over to give the girl a poke; she jumped out of the way. "Ya better finish that ice cream fast, wouldn't want ya to drop it."
"Thanks for the warning." The girl actually stuck her tongue out at him behind the cone; he wouldn't even have noticed if he hadn't been tall enough to see over it. He raised an eyebrow. Feisty was good. Feisty didn't leave room for depressed. He would definitely take feisty over depressed any day.
By the time the ice cream was gone they had gotten to the part of town that they'd been searching for Touya in last. The wind master could feel the chill already; his old friend was definitely in the area today. Jin looked down at the girl; she was frowning slightly as she started down a street they hadn't been on before. "Ya feel it, too?"
"Yeah. We're pretty close." The girl was frowning slightly. The redhead scowled.
"Hey, Mana?"
"Yeah?" She looked over just as he crossed his arms and blinked, a confused expression flicking across her features. "What is it?"
"Wot did I say was gonna happen if ya didn't smile for me?" The healer stared at him a moment before her eyes went wide. He had a hold on her before she could think to run. "Gotcha!"
"Damn it, Jin, don't you dare!" He only grinned as she protested. To his delight, the healer didn't just prove to be a little bit ticklish, she was a lot ticklish! The girl shrieked as he grasped at her sides, wriggling desperately in an attempt to pull away from him. He persisted until finally she giggled, and then had to hold her up as she gasped for breath. "J-jerk..."
"Hey, don't be callin' names, now. Yer the one who made that so difficult!" He ruffled the healer's hair. "I gave ya fair warning wot I was plannin' to do if ya didn't laugh for me again. Ya brought that on yerself and ya got no one else to blame."
The girl looked up at him, smiling in spite of herself. "You're still a jerk."
His answer was interrupted by the sound of his own name. The redhead turned, scanning the crowd, and couldn't help an excited yell. "Touya! Been lookin' all over for you, I have! Where ya been?"
He barely had any time to register the fact that the ice user was not alone before Mana broke away from him suddenly, very nearly knocking him down in the process, and took off running. All Jin could do was stare as Yusuke Urameshi took off after her.
That was not how she'd wanted that to go. Mana wove her way through the crowd, tears stinging her eyes. Curse it all, had she lost track of time? Urameshi should have still been in school. Of course he'd have cut out early, promises or not! It was just her luck that this would happen, just her rotten, stupid luck!
She ran as far as she could before she had to stop. She couldn't have made it more than three blocks; she was far better at sprints than long-distance running. Panting, she turned a corner and leaned against the side of a building to catch her breath. With any luck at all, they'd just let her go. The girl reached up, rubbing the moisture away from her cheeks with the back of her hand. What the hell was she crying about? She'd done exactly what she'd said she would, Jin could go home now, and she could finally have some peace and quiet. Why was she crying?
A sudden thud next to her head made her jump. Urameshi must have been holding back; his fist hadn't actually damaged the wall, but it had certainly gotten her attention. They held each other's gazes for several silent seconds before he finally spoke. "You have got a lot of explaining to do."
"About what?" Mana forced herself to straighten up and stop panting. He wasn't even breathing quickly from chasing after her like that. Of course... "I guess I know how my compass broke now, don't I?"
The detective didn't seem amused. "How long have you known about him, Koyama?"
She shifted uncomfortably; the way he was leaning over her made her feel small. "It's been about two weeks now, I guess." Urameshi's eyes went wide. "I found him injured near my house. I took him back to my home to take care of his wounds, and I've been looking after him ever since."
For half a second she thought he was actually going to hit her. "You just... you just took him home?" His voice was thick with disbelief. "Do you even think? Did it even occur to you that maybe you should have talked to someone about it?"
Mana pushed away from the wall, ducking around him. "You took in Touya, didn't you? It's the same thing."
"It is not!" The sheer volume of the shout made her flinch. "Damn it, Koyama, I know them!"
The healer stopped. He... knew them? The girl groaned; suddenly everything seemed to be clicking into place. Damn it, Jin had talked about another detective and she'd never even thought to ask their name! Of course it would have been Urameshi, it was just her stupid luck. "Well, maybe I have ways of knowing a person, too. I wouldn't have done it if he'd been that dangerous."
Urameshi's entire expression went deadpan. "I've seen that guy throw tornados at people, and you're calling him not that dangerous?"
He could do what? "I had him sealed," the blonde mumbled. "As I said, he was hurt. He wasn't a threat."
"If it had been anyone else you could be dead!" Great, now he was shouting again. "Did you even check to see what kind of power he had before you went putting seals on him? I bet you didn't, did you?"
"His energy levels were completely manageable at the time," Mana hissed. "Unlike you, I actually do try to plan my moves!"
"Are the two of ya quite done yet?" Jin's heavy drawl made both of them jump. "We could hear ya a half a block down. It's not the wisest thing to be havin' a fight like this in the middle of the road, ya know. Tends to draw unwanted attention to ya, so says I."
Mana stared at the ground, her cheeks flushing. Urameshi was equally silent as Touya strode up behind Jin, the two of them providing an interesting contrast to one another. "Jin is right. It would be best if we found somewhere where the two of you could fight this out in peace."
"We weren't fighting," Mana protested quietly. "It was only a difference of opinions." Urameshi snorted lightly, but Mana refused to look at him. "I should be heading home now. I have things to take care of."
Jin stared at her, a look of hurt crossing his face. "Just gonna run off without sayin' goodbye proper, are ya? That don't seem right. I know ya can be more of a sport than that."
"I..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say. Her throat felt too tight to speak, so finally she just stepped forward and put her arms around him. The apparition seemed to understand; he hugged back, ruffling her hair with one hand. "You take care of yourself, okay? Don't forget, you promised."
"Now why would I go and forget a thing like that?" Mana felt the now-familiar sensation of being gripped by the waist and lifted into the air. She yelped in spite of herself; the redhead laughed and set her back down. "There ya go, that's a bit more lively now. Ya better laugh for me again someday, ya hear?"
She felt her face flushing. "You're an idiot, Jin."
The apparition only laughed...
The twins were waiting when she got back to the apartment. Both were concerned, that concern quickly turning to shock once Mana explained what had happened that afternoon. She left out what Yusuke Urameshi had said about her on the roof; she had neither want nor cause to dwell on that right now. Hachiko hugged her and Sachiko asked if she wanted them to spend the night, but she shrugged off their concerns. She was going to be fine; there was nothing to worry about. She was a strong girl, and an independant one. She would manage. She sent them away with a small chuckle as Sachi tripped on her own shoelaces, and the look the twins gave her at the sound only made her all the more amused as she closed the door. It felt kind of nice, really, laughing did. Who knew, maybe she had learned something from the demon boy after all.
Jin, meanwhile, couldn't help a little bit of ear-twitching once he got home and saw all of his old buddies again. Chu clapped him on the back, asking where he'd been, and with a mischevious grin he'd replied that he'd been staying with a cute little human girl the whole time, but no one seemed to believe him. Jin didn't really mind. They spent most of the evening in good spirits- both the emotional and liquid kinds- and he wondered if maybe he hadn't missed home just a little bit after all. It wasn't until he headed up to his own room that night that he realized that he'd kept the hat but left his own clothing behind. Ah, well. He'd get it later.
He had promised, after all...
And that rounds out act one! Don't worry; Kaze no Fantasia will be updating again next Saturday, as scheduled. So if you don't mind, perhaps a few reviews to distract me from my aching stomach would be nice? Either way, I'll see you all next weekend!
