Just a short chapter this week, as I seem to be still slightly drained from the last one. I actually, and this is interesting, find I rather enjoy working with Yusuke's point of view. His reactions to things can be amusing.
Oh, my god, how did Kaze jump to the one hundred thousand word count so quickly? I honestly don't think the story is that far yet; this site counts the author's notes as part of the chapter. But I'm almost there! I can hardly believe it! I'll have to go back and actually total things up- yeep! That won't be fun. A huge thanks to everyone who's got me this far, though. Every reader, every reviewer, every message that I've been faved makes my whole day go more smoothly. And I need it, because I find I swear more at the Mega Man X games than I ever did at Dark Tournament and I'm still helplessly, helplessly addicted. Sigh... what is a gamer to do?
A few cultural notes! To remind you, this story is set in Japan, so while it's written out in English the characters are actually speaking Japanese- hence the discussion on the English language later in the story. High schools and some middle schools in Japan do teach English as a standard class; it seems to be the most common second language. However, their methods of teaching the language are different from ours... hence the existence of what anime fans everywhere know as "Engrish." In one season four episode of the anime, in Japanese, Keiko is even seen writing words in a journal and then writing the English translations next to them, practicing the words that most match her current feelings. I found it to be a pretty meaningful scene; one of the words was 'anxiety' and she stared at it for quite a while before moving on. Since Yusuke doesn't do much in the way of homework or even attending class, his English probably leaves a lot to be desired. Mana, on the other hand, is fluent in the language because of her mixed race and the fact that she spent her early childhood in the care of her English-speaking mother.
Another thing to note is that most of you have probably noticed that Mana refers to and even thinks of Yusuke by his last name, and vice versa. This manner of addressing is common in Japan; the first name is usually reserved for the people you are more comfortable with, for family and close friends, or in some notable cases for the guy who's just too friendly. This is why Yusuke is so surprised when Kurama calls Mana by her first name; it's a sign that, on some level, the two have become friends or are at the very least have a deep understanding of each other. I choose not to use honorifics in my stories, but it should be noted that Kurama would probably follow Mana's name with the 'chan' reserved, typically, for those younger than oneself, while she would call him the more respectful "Shuichi-san" or "Kurama-san," acknowledging that in school and in age- and in many other matters- he is at a level above her. As -san is also the polite term for someone that one isn't as comfortable or friendly with, that is also how she and Yusuke would address each other, although, as stated, they would be using their last names in place of the first. When talking to or about the twins, Mana can call them freely by their first names, with no honorific assigned, because they are very close. This would be a mutual thing, as the twins feel the same for her that she does for them. To further it one more extreme, while Mana calls her school rival "Wakahisa" or, with honorifics, "Wahahisa-san" to her face, in thought she would be calling her simply "Yuki" with no honorific at all... and, since the two are not close, this is actually considered an insult. Yuki likely thinks of Mana on the same grounds; as being below the point where common courtesy is required.
And then, as I said, we have Jin, who is comfortable calling everyone by their first name and honorifics be damned, because we're all friends here, right?
I certainly hope that was educational; now it's time for the chapter itself. I challenge anyone and everyone to figure out exactly what happens in the first three paragraphs; they were far too much fun to write. So let's go!
Mana found she was having a harder time waking up than usual on Sunday. The beeping alarm clock was making a harsh noise. She smacked at the night stand a few times until it shut up. There, that was better... Tea. She needed tea. Pushing herself up off the mattress, the healer felt for the door and headed out into the hallway. Tea was good. Tea would make the blurring go away.
Her foot hit something and for a moment she thought she was on the ground, but then she was back on her feet again without getting up. Blinking twice, she shrugged it off and headed into the kitchen. She knew it was the kitchen because it wasn't the living room any more; there was no light pouring in from the wall to her left. That was where the stove was. She turned it on, staring blearily down at the flame while she waited for the kettle to boil. Odd, the flame looked so clear, and then it didn't, as though someone set something on it. After a moment, the flame looked clear again, so she watched it flicker... and then something covered it again. Mana frowned. That was getting annoying. Turning, she fumbled for the mug sitting by the stove and dropped a tea bag into it. Now she needed the sugar. Where was her spoon? There was supposed to be a spoon sitting by the mug. There was no spoon... well then... she could estimate, right? Yawning, she poured a bit of sugar into the cup right from the sugar bowl. There. That should be about right...
The kettle seemed to be taking a long time to boil. Mana sat, staring blankly at it, waiting for it to whistle. She didn't realize she'd closed her eyes until suddenly the teakettle was screaming at her for all it was worth. Blinking again, she picked it up and poured the water into her cup. There. That was nice. She made the journey back to her room, watching the liquid in the tea cup sloshing. It stopped sloshing once she'd set it on the table in her room. It smelled good...
Mana felt more awake once the cup was drained. Frowning lightly, the blonde stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had fallen asleep in her clothing. How had that happened? Yawning, she stretched and peeled her shirt off. It wouldn't do any good to wear yesterday's clothing on a Sunday.
"Em!"
The girl jumped, practically out of her chair. Jin's hands were clapped over his eyes as he stood in her open doorway. "What the hell do you want?!"
"I was comin' in to tell ya that ya got someone at yer door..." He shifted as though uneasy. "Sounds pretty insistent, too..."
"Did it ever occur to you to try knocking first?" Mana grabbed a clean blouse, pulling it back on quickly. "Honestly, Jin, manners would be nice!"
"Well, I would've knocked just fine if yer door hadn't been wide open!" He was still covering his eyes as she pushed passed him. "Hey!"
Mana ignored him, heading over to the front door. As he said, there was a very insistent knocking... almost more of a pounding... from out in the hallway. Scowling, she opened the door... and stared. Yusuke Urameshi still had one fist raised, ready to hit the door again. He stopped when he saw here, and there was a moment of awkward silence before he spoke up. "Hey."
She shut the door in his face.
Jin was staring at her when she turned around. "That was just plain rude of ya, Mana."
"I'll deal with him in five minutes, once I'm properly dressed and my hair is brushed. I guarantee he'll still be there."
And, in a way, he was there before she came back. By the time Mana came back into the living room, face washed, hair neatly combed, outfit tidy and unworn, Urameshi was sitting on her couch chatting with Jin and Touya. She nodded to the detective as she took her cup to the kitchen. "Good morning."
His response was to stare at her like she'd sprouted a second head. Jin beamed. "Mornin', Mana!"
Somehow, she didn't' have the heart to point out that she'd been talking to Urameshi. "Have any of you had breakfast yet this morning?" There were three shaking heads. "Good. I'm starving."
She could just hear Urameshi as she opened the refrigerator door. "Well, she's interesting in the morning..."
"She can be," Jin agreed. "Doesn't wake up real fast, that one." Mana gritted her teeth as Jin sauntered over to see what she was doing. "Do ya, Mana?"
She gave him a flat stare. "Do you want your breakfast or not?"
The apparition just reached over and ruffled her hair. "Yer a good girl, Mana, but ya need to learn to wake up better. We thought ya'd hurt yerself this mornin'."
"I would like your hand off my head now, please." Jin pulled back enough for her to start work on fixing something to eat. She could hear Touya and Urameshi talking in the living room, mostly about what they'd been doing for the past three months. Great, now she'd have to make breakfast for him, too. She didn't want to do that.
She ended up doing it anyway. It was worth it, she decided, for the look of surprise on the detective's face when she set a plate in front of him. "You made me breakfast?"
"You said you hadn't eaten, didn't you?" She sat down, focusing on her own plate. Let the three of them chat; it was clear enough that they were already friends. She listened quietly as they started to talk about going into town for the day, for lack of very much better to do. Good, the healer thought. It would give her some time for some studying.
"Mana will go with us!"
The blonde choked. "What?"
Jin was looking at her with excited eyes. "Well, ya will, won't ya? It'd be more fun with all of us, don't ya think it so?"
She swallowed. "I really don't think that's such a good idea. I..." The redhead's mouth fell into a frown. "I've got studying to do today, Jin," she finished lamely.
'Ya always say that!" Jin gave her a light jab in the side. "Wot have I told ya about gettin' out more?"
"I got out yesterday. I've got other things to do today." Mana kept her eyes trained on her plate, trying to ignore Jin's puppy eyes. She could feel the demon staring at her as she ate, until finally he sat back away from her a bit.
"Say wot ya want to, then. Yer still gonna come with us, even if I hafta drag ya myself." He tucked into his plate enthusiastically, leaving Mana unsure as to what to say. Glancing over, she saw Urameshi watching them with one eyebrow raised and realized her cheeks were burning. Damn it...
She remained silent through the rest of the meal, wondering to herself how she should get out of this. There was always the option of locking herself in her own room... but Jin had already made threats against her door in the past. Maybe if she locked herself in the bathroom? He wouldn't dare break down that door... would he? Once breakfast was done, the girl headed into her own room and flopped down on the bed once the door was securely shut. Now what was she supposed to do?
Not five minutes later there was a knock at the door. "Mana, are ya okay?"
"I'm fine." She scowled, sitting up again. He really wasn't going to leave her alone, was he? Sitting up, the girl went and peaked out into the hallway before the apparition could get any ideas about breaking her home. "What?"
Jin was frowning. "Yer not comin' out with us, are ya?"
Damn it. The blonde sighed. "Jin, I really would like to try to get some schoolwork done..."
"Oh, just come with us already." The healer stared as Urameshi shoved his hands into his pocket. "It's not going to kill your grades to slack of for once, is it?"
"I already missed almost a week of school..."
"Right, so what difference does it make anyway? Sheesh, you're more uptight than Keiko sometimes." Mana flinched lightly. "Just come on, would you?"
"Fine..." She leaned against the doorframe. "At least give me some time to get ready?"
Jin seemed to be much more cheerful. "That we can do! Just no hidin' this time, ahright?" She nodded and shut the door, resigning herself to her fate. There was no way she was going to get to stay home today. They actually weren't going to let her. She sighed, tidying herself up quickly and grabbing a bit of pink lip gloss for the road. Her hair was starting to wave lightly; she grabbed her brush and vigorously combed it down. How many times had she had to take her childhood photos in to school just to prove to a traditionalistic teacher that her hair was naturally blonde? And now it didn't even want to be straight. Ugh.
By the time she got back to the living room, the spirit detective had his feet on her table. She resisted the urge to snap, instead coolly picking up her purse. "So where are we going?"
"Hell if we know." Urameshi swung his feet down. "We'll figure it out as soon as we meet Kuwabara. Come on."
Great...
What on earth was her problem, anyway?
Yusuke shoved his hands further into his pockets, wishing he had some gloves. It was never any good; he always ended up loosing one or both of them as a kid, and eventually he'd just given up on the things entirely... but it would still be nice. Across from him, Koyama was tugging her own gloves over her fingers. He couldn't understand why Jin had been so intent on getting her to come along, but if it got them out of that apartment that much faster he was glad to help. The place was too pristine for his tastes. At the very least she could have had more than a plant to look at.
It wasn't that he disliked the girl. She was an okay kid, she just wasn't the kind of person he usually chose to associate with. She was too bookish, the kind of person who- so he had heard- always had the answers even when her mind was clearly elsewhere. From what he'd heard poking his nose around where it probably didn't belong, she was a picture perfect little straight 100's kind of girl who was sweet to the teachers and got all her work done on time. That just wasn't the kind of person he was used to dealing with.
Besides, he still couldn't figure out exactly what it was driving her to be a detective in the first place, and that just downright annoyed him.
Jin was whistling as he walked, and Yusuke couldn't help a wry grin. Now Jin, he liked. Anyone who could appreciate a good fight was okay with him. The wind master's whole group was pretty okay with him, actually, and that was rare enough in and of itself; Yusuke didn't usually find that many people that he liked in one place. The way he saw it, if they wanted to come through and hang out in the human world a bit, that was fine with him. It had puzzled him at first as to why he and Touya had decided to stay with the healer, but now that he'd actually had a meal at her house he thought he could figure that one out for himself, at least. Koyama's cooking sure beat the hell out of his mother's...
"Hey, Urameshi!"
"Yusuke!"
The fifteen-year-old detective raised his head- and one hand- to the familiar voices. Kuwabara was grinning like an idiot, as always, so he didn't really care about that. He was just thankful Keiko was smiling; it meant she would be less likely to start nagging at him. "Hey, guys! I brought visitors! Any sign of Kurama yet?"
"He called my house earlier, said he was gonna be late." The tawny fighter blinked. "Hey, Koyama! Didn't expect to see you here."
The girl's cheeks actually turned pink. "Hello, Kuwabara, hello Yukimura." Sheesh, he could hardly hear her through her scarf. Uncertain as to how to respond to the meek reply, Kuwabara turned his attention to the two demons instead. Yusuke nodded to Keiko.
"Hey, Keiko."
"Hello, Yusuke." It still felt strange when she looked at him like that. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to figure out what to say. She beat him to it. "I bet you haven't even started working on that book report, have you?"
Damn, she was going to nag. That was the bad thing about being in Keiko's class; she knew exactly what homework he had and when. "I, uh, flipped through the book a bit?"
Keiko looked ready to protest when another voice cut in. "Well, it looks like I'm the last one here." Kurama smiled apologetically as he strode over; he looked casual, but Yusuke noted with a snicker that he wasn't the only one who'd forgotten his gloves. The fox had his hands deep in his pockets, too. He regarded the group with some surprise. "Mana, I didn't expect you to be here. Hello."
"Hello, Shuichi." The girl nodded politely. "I got dragged again."
The green-eyed one laughed. "I can see that. Kurama will do for now, though. Oh, Keiko, I found that book you wanted to borrow. I don't have it with me, I'm afraid. It didn't seem like the best idea to bring it with me. But I can drop it off at your parent's restaurant later, if you'd like."
"That would be great." Yusuke rolled his eyes, wishing it were easier to turn on his selective hearing. It always drove him nuts when those two started talking schoolwork. Hey, wait a minute. Yusuke frowned. Since when was Kurama on a first-name basis with Koyama?
They ended up walking around for over an hour before they actually figured out what to do. It wasn't even planned, really; they just happened to be passing a theater and Kuwabara had made the suggestion. It actually led to an argument of sorts; no one could agree on what to watch. The problem was Keiko; she wanted to see a movie in an entirely different language. "Keiko, come on. You and Kurama are the only ones who would even understand a movie in English! Pick something the rest of us can watch, too!"
There was a soft sound behind him. "I speak English, too, you know." The detective blinked, turning. Koyama was picking lightly at her scarf. "If it's really that big a deal, I could help translate."
Kuwabara was openly staring, but Kurama nodded politely. "That's right, you said your mother was American, didn't you?"
The blonde head bobbed slightly. "I've been speaking English since I was three."
"That's perfect." Keiko nodded in approval herself. "Then the three of us can translate for you..." her brown eyes found Yusuke's... "in case you don't remember a some of the words from class."
"Oh, sure, like I actually remember anything from that class..." Yusuke scowled lightly, but now Kuwabara was starting to look thoughtful.
"You know, I have been doing better on the quizzes. It might be good practice."
"Ah, great. Hey, is anyone thinking to ask these two?" Yusuke jerked his thumb towards the visitors... but Touya just shrugged.
"We'll watch whatever you decide on. We won't be the ones paying for it, after all."
"You've got to be kidding me..."
Yusuke was resolving himself to a boring afternoon when Koyama spoke up again. "We could always see two movies, you know. It's still early in the day..."
"I could do that." Kurama was checking his watch. "She's right, there's more than enough time to see a movie, get something to eat, and then see one more before it gets late."
"Can we at least get the foreign one out of the way first?" Yusuke shifted from foot to foot. "That way some of us can actually enjoy the afternoon."
Keiko rolled her eyes. "Yusuke, don't be such a brat."
In the end that was what they did. Yusuke sat down for lunch with a muddled head. He hadn't understood any of that. Even Kuwabara had been laughing from time to time at the film on the big screen, although half the time Yusuke noticed it seemed to be at the parts where no one else was reacting. Either way, even he had seemed to understand it to some extent, and the girls didn't seem to have had any problems at all. The teen kicked back, leaning against the wall of the booth they'd settled into. Kurama smiled at him sympathetically, seeming to understand as he always did. Sometimes he wondered if the fox could read minds. He certainly seemed to have had a better time with the film than the other red-headed demon at the table; Jin was pestering Mana for details about one of the scenes. He watched, amused, as Keiko tried to help explain it. Between the two of them he was almost starting to get it himself.
The second movie they saw was a horror movie. Yusuke enjoyed that a lot more, especially since he got to have a good laugh at Keiko. To think the girl had followed him to the Dark Tournament and a good, old fashioned thriller could still make her shriek. He was still chuckling about it as they stood when Jin's voice snapped him back to reality. "Hey, wake up!"
He turned just as Koyama started to shift. She sat up blinking, rubbing one eye with the back of her hand. "Is it over already?"
"Yeah, it ended." The redhead was staring. "Ya mean ya actually fell asleep there?"
"Sorry." The girl stood, blinking at Kurama. "What are you laughing at?"
"It's nothing." Kurama chuckled lightly. "I think it may be time for me to part ways. I'm supposed to be helping with dinner tonight. Keiko, I'll stop by afterwards with your book."
"That will be fine." Keiko smiled brightly. "Yusuke, you should borrow it when I'm done. It should be very useful for that report."
"I'll take care of it on my own, sheesh!" He waved goodbye to Kurama as he left. He had to admit, the guy seemed a lot happier since his mother got married. Probably because he wasn't having to worry about her so much any more, the detective decided. Keiko was the next to go, which made Yusuke feel a little awkward inside. He never knew just how to say goodbye to her any more. Then again, things had been different for them ever since he died...
Koyama had fallen back a bit, watching Jin and Kuwabara chat. Well, better now than any other chance he'd had that day. "Hey."
The girl blinked. Yusuke tried to ignore how pale her eyes were; he'd stared miserably the first time they'd met until she'd finally demanded to know what was so interesting about her face. After a moment she gave him a light nod. "Urameshi."
"Have you thought at all about what I suggested?" He dropped back into step next to her. "About the weapons?"
"I have." Strange, she suddenly didn't sound nervous any more. In fact the girl who'd been speaking in a subdued voice most of the day suddenly sounded forceful. "If a weapon is what I need, then that's what I'll do. It won't be a problem."
Yusuke raised an eyebrow. Well, so much for her giving up. "Then I guess that's that. We'll see how far you go with it."
"Yes," the blonde muttered, so softly he almost couldn't hear her, "we shall."
He watched, amused, as she hurried to catch back up to the others. Who knew, maybe she'd be okay after all...
