Um, hi. Aeris here. Okay, I know, you probably all want an explanation about why there was no chapter last week. I've been holding a steady update pace for three months now and you're all pretty well used to it, so I guess I owe you all an explanation. Simply put... I didn't feel like it. I've been under a lot of stress lately, and the chapter I was trying to work on (and restarted five times) was just feeling too rush. I put the story on hold for a week to give myself a break and let me sort of re-align with the flow of things. I hope you all understand. Three months of once-a-week updates do take their toll. On the plus side, I didn't get a single angry message, so I'm fairly sure most of you worked this out for yourselves. Even I need a break from time to time. Either way, it's great to be back and writing again. I feel totally refreshed now, and ready to get back to my story!
So, you're probably all wondering now what I've been doing if I haven't been writing. Well, you guys know me pretty well by now, right? I'm a writer, a near-compulsive gamer, a mass-consumer of webcomics and socialization... and a compulsive gamer... OKAY, I'VE BEEN SITTING HERE FOR TWO WEEKS READING QUESTIONABLE CONTENT AND BOB AND GEORGE AND PLAYING THE MEGAMAN X SERIES! Are you happy now? I have been SLACKING OFF! Which is probably why I feel so refreshed, aside from the occasional bouts of screaming my head off at the robot masters... okay, technically the robot masters were the bosses in the first Megaman series, but damn it, these new guys look like robot masters to me! Anyway, as I was saying, I spent most of the last two weeks just kind of taking a vacation, kicking butt, laughing at comics, bouncing around ideas for totally new stories that won't be written or even started until I can play at least a dozen other video games for research (translation: Kaze is not going on hiatus any time soon, so don't worry) and turning into a total Zero fangirl. Oops, I didn't mean to say that last one out loud...
By the way, seeing as I can think of at least three or four of you off the top of my head who might want to go see what I've been reading when you're done with this chapter, I probably should try advising that Questionable Content... em... lives up to it's name, and you should really sit and evaluate your own mental maturity before you go and read it. Bob and George should be fine for all of you, though. Unless you value your sanity...
The next couple of chapters after this one are going to be what are known as "cute" chapters. There are a couple of months that need to go by until I can get into the next serious plot-line, which starts in mid-spring or so... and as you all remember, it is January. But, at the very least, I can get a couple of concepts out of my head that have been making me giggle for some time now, including one of my favorite. Plot devices. Ever. For now, though, I think we can all sit back, relax, and have another good curse/laugh at Yuki's expense. Geez, I abuse her a lot. I should find a way to give her a nice break for a while... tee hee...
Thanks so much for being patient, you guys. A lot of you have told me several times that you look forward to Saturdays and new updates, and I really did feel like I was letting a lot of you down by taking a break, but mentally I was just too exhausted to turn out a good chapter. And I'd rather take a week off from time to time than post something I'm not proud of, because then none of us win. Again, though, I'm feeling fine and back in action now... So let's go!
Jin knew Mana was in a foul mood when she got home from school because he heard the front door slam all the way from outside. He had been shoving the snow off the balcony when he heard it; he peeked inside in time to see her throw her bag on the table in a huff. "Mana? Ya doin' okay?"
"No, I'm not!" The girl flopped onto the couch and pulled her shoes off. "I hate Yuki! I absolutely hate her!"
The redhead cringed, heading inside. "Ahright, wot happened?"
"Wet paint!" The blond virtually spat. "Wet paint, all over the inside of my desk! I had to get new books and new supplies!" The girl flopped backwards on the couch cushions, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to get her back for this..."
Jin frowned. "I've never once heard ya talk like that afore. Are ya feelin' okay?"
"I'll be fine." The girl's arm fell to her side and she just rested there, motionless, with her eyes closed.
Jin frowned, studying the lines on her face. "Yer tired. Ya ought to go and lie down for a bit, so I say. It won't be doin' yer head any good to be pushin' it when yer feelin' down." She nodded mutely, reaching up to rub her forehead again. "Ya think maybe yer hurtin' from where ya hit yer head yesterday?"
The girl frowned. "Jin, what are you talking about?"
He sighed. Of course she didn't remember. "When ya got up yesterday, ya hit yer head somethin' bad." The girl gave him a flat look. "Ya did! Tripped and whacked it a good one on the couch. Me and Touy were worryin', but ya seemed fine once I'd picked ya back up."
The girl's expression was a mix of confusion and disbelief. "Anything else I missed when I woke up?"
"Well, ya did start the stove without havin' the water in place, but Touy fixed that for ya." He reached over, trying to remember where her head had hit the couch, and brushed her hair back. "See, I think ya got a bit of a bruise there."
"Great." The girl huffed, her bangs fluttering lightly. "Just what I need."
It took him half a minute to stand up and scoop the girl off the couch. She yelped, but he just ignored it. "Okay, come on. Ya need some open air right now, so we're gonna go find some."
"Jin, put me down!" He tightened his grip for a moment, waiting for the inevitable struggling to stop. After a moment she stopped trying to get free. "Jin, seriously, please put me down?"
"Nope!" He headed outside onto the balcony. The streets seemed clear at both ends when he checked. Good... he really didn't need to get yelled at for this one. "Okay, then. Yer gonna want to hold on for this one."
The girl clung to his neck. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Just promise me ya won't go screamin' in me ear, okay?" He shifted her lightly, waiting for the breeze around them to kick up a bit. It was always an exhilarating feeling, that first moment when his feet lifted off the floor. Mana didn't stop squeezing his neck until he'd landed them on the ground below. "There, see? That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"
"Do you have any idea how busted my ass is if anyone catches you doing that?" The girl was half-whispering, half-hissing. The wind master just chuckled. "I'm serious! What if someone had been looking out a window or something?"
"Then I'm bettin' we'd be hearin' a lot more shouts right about now." He moved to set her on the ground, only for her to yelp and pull her legs off. "Eh, wot's wrong now?"
"My shoes are still upstairs!" Jin blinked, glancing at her feet. Sure enough, she was only wearing her socks. Mana whined lightly. "You idiot..."
The redhead frowned. "Well, I guess I'll just be havin' to carry ya, then." Shifting his hold, he started down the alley as Mana started smacking him on the head. "Hey, now, there's no needin' for that. Yer gonna make a scene."
"And it's not going to make a scene with you carrying me?" Now she was flat out hissing. Jin sighed lightly.
"Not if everyone sees yer not wearin' shoes. That speaks for itself, I'm thinkin'." The girl grumbled, but held still as he carried her at last. It took him a few turns to remember the way out into the forest... and Mana seemed to be dozing slightly by the time they got there. The apparition stared. Was she really feeling that off color? Either way, the shout when they lifted off the ground almost deafened him. Cringing, held tighter to keep from dropping her as she started to squirm again. "Mana, come on, yer startin' to hurt me neck..."
"What are you doing?" She clung to him, alarmed. The wind master shifted his grip, lifting them off the ground a bit more. The wind didn't mind today that he had a passenger, even if she did wiggle a bit. He sighed. Couldn't she ever hold still?
"I told ya before, remember? I told ya I'd take ya for a flight proper." He felt his ears twitch lightly; the breeze was cold today, but it was still lively. He liked it just that way. "Come on, Mana, look around a bit. Isn't it pretty?"
The girl peeked upwards from where she had her face pressed to his chest and gasped. Jin grinned slightly, admiring the view himself. The entire forest was spread out beneath them, snow-covered and glittering white in the sunlight. Gleaming icicles hung down from the tree branches, occasionally breaking free and falling to the ground with a soft noise that sounded almost like chiming bells. Mana's fingers released their death grip on his shirt a bit as she stared, eyes wide and mouth gaping slightly. "Wow..."
"Ya don't get to see things like this every day, do ya?" The girl shook her head silently. "I bet ya never even take the time to look, do ya?" There was another swish of blonde as she shook her head again. He held on to her a little tighter; it was cold, and her body emitted a lot of heat for being so small. "Ya need to slow down, Mana. Ya run through things too fast. Yer still young, there's plenty of time ahead of ya, but that doesn't mean ya should waste what ya have now bein' angry."
There was another, less pronounced nod. Jin smiled to himself, looking out over the woods. The human world was awful pretty. It was a shame the humans never seemed to realize it.
By nightfall Mana seemed to be mostly okay again. Jin ate his dinner and watched her doing her schoolwork, chatting with Touya all the while about the contents of her history book. The conversation was slightly dizzying, mainly because the redhead had no idea what the other two were talking about. Finally he just sat back and waited for the healer to finish her work at the table and head for the couch. It was late by the time she did. "Hi."
"Feelin' better now?" He scooted over to make some room as the girl curled her legs up under her. She nodded, twisting the ends of a strand of her own hair around one finger.
"A little bit." He reached over, resting one hand on her forehead on an impulse. She pulled back in annoyance. "I'm not ill, Jin."
"Just makin' sure." He smiled brightly, but the girl just sighed and shifted how she was sitting, hugging her knees against her chest. "Okay, wot's wrong now?"
"I'm worried about going to school tomorrow. Some of Yuki's friends were on cleaning duty today." The girl was twirling her hair around her finger again, studying the ends quietly. Jin frowned.
"And yer afraid of more pranks, are ya?" She didn't answer, but the silence said enough anyway. "Ya can't snitch, either, can ya?"
"There won't be proof of who actually did it. Not enough for the teachers, anyway." Jin noticed with some amusement that when Mana finally dropped the hair she'd been playing with it actually stayed curled. "I don't know what to do."
"So don't do anythin' at all, then." He ignored her skeptical look and kept talking. "Sometimes when someone's bein' rough with ya, ya want to react out of anger. But then ya might be the one gettin' in trouble yerself, right? Just wait it out, let them do wot they want and get bored, and who knows, mebbe later ya can blindside 'em yerself."
"Jin." The redhead winced as Touya cut in. "That's not the best advice to give someone her age."
"Well, it's the truth, so she might as well learn it now." The wind master nodded curtly. "It can't hurt her to learn to look out for herself, can it, Mana?" There was no answer. "Mana?"
Touya chuckled softly, prompting Jin to actually look over at the girl; she was fast asleep. "Does she do this a lot?"
"All the time." Jin laughed to himself quietly. "Always happens about this time of night, I've found. Sit and have a conversation with the girl and she'll fall asleep the moment ya stop for yer breath. Works herself to hard, I think."
Touya nodded, waiting silently as Jin scooped the girl up and carried her into her own room. At the very least the little girl should have been allowed to be comfortable. Touya had settled onto the couch by the time of his return. "You've learned a lot about her in a short time, haven't you?"
"She's easy to learn." Jin flopped down, stretching his arms over his head before kicking back a bit. "She's a good girl, just not so good at bein' social yet. When she took me in she would sit and just kinda talk from time to time, and ya could tell she'd been waitin' a long time for someone to listen to her. Seems like the least I can do is keep an eye on her a bit."
Touya gave him an appraising look. "And if you get to take regular trips to the Ningenkai to do it, no harm there, correct?"
Jin grinned. "Well, I can't be sayin' there isn't a little somethin' in it for me, can I?"
The ice master shook his head. "Have I ever told you how predictable you are, Jin?"
"Every time and again, I suppose." The grin crept wider across his face. "Every time and again."
It was good to have friends.
Her desk seemed unscathed when she sat down that morning. Her locker, too, had been left alone. By the time lunch rolled around, Mana was in a state of stunned disbelief. Why hadn't they done anything to her things when they'd had the chance? It wasn't until she was out on the steps that she'd found out what had happened. "You guys seriously stayed late?"
Hachi nodded as her sister busied herself with her lunch. "I asked the teacher to explain a bit of the literature we were reading in class to me and ended up being able to drag it out for over half an hour. You just have to know which ones like to talk a lot." Mana stared, awe-struck. She was used to Hachi occasionally being crafty, but this was a new level of skill. The girl seemed to know what she was thinking; she grinned lightly. "I'm getting good at covering your back."
Mana nodded lightly, popping open her own box lunch. "Thanks. I was really worried yesterday."
"We know." Sachi reached down to pat her on the back. "Don't worry. We'll keep an eye on things for you. I'm on cleaning duty today."
Mana groaned. "Just don't hit anyone with the brooms this time."
Sachiko looked indignant. "I told you, that was an accident."
"We know, sis, we know." Hachiko laughed quietly. "So, Mana, how are your houseguests doing?"
"They seem to be fine." Mana took a bite of her rice, reflecting on the fact that she once again had no recollection of actually going to her room the night before. The twins shared a glance before turning in unison to look back at her. The blonde frowned; she didn't like that look. "What?"
"Mana, is it really a good idea to let Jin start dragging friends through to our side? Couldn't you get in trouble for that?"
The healer sighed lightly. "Right now I don't think it is. Urameshi seems to know his group pretty well. I don't think any of them are troublemakers."
The twins each raised an eyebrow. Mana noted with a small start that they automatically mirrored each other's expressions. "You don't think any of them are troublemakers, and yet they're friends with... with him?"
"Um..." Ah, fiznit. That was a compelling argument... "I think they all met over some sort of tournament." That was what Jin had said, right? At least by now it was pretty safe to figure he'd been talking about the other detective then. She couldn't remember the details too well. Maybe she should ask again...
"Earth to Mana, you have clearance to land."
Crap, which one had said that? Had to be Sachi... "I was just thinking, cut me some slack." Mana stood, blinking at a sudden breeze. It felt... nice. At least, it was pleasant until she noticed Yuki and her group across the way. Her 'rival' had her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "We don't have any quizzes or anything this afternoon, do we?"
"Nope." Hachi shook her head, her twin pigtails swishing. "Why, did you forget to study or something?"
"No," Mana brushed her skirt off. "I just feel like going home a bit early today." There was a resounding silence. By the time she looked up again, both twins were staring. "What?"
"You're just going to skip out on class today?" Hachi frowned. "Mana, whatever happened to taking school seriously?"
"I do. I just feel like taking a break today." Mana headed up the steps, intent on the classroom. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"
She left them slack-jawed on the steps, silently hoping that Yuki wouldn't try to stall her before she could make a clean escape. She didn't feel like dealing with a scene today, so the best thing to do would be to just go. After all, she told herself firmly, she could get away with just one day...
By the time she actually got to her locker, reason had kicked in again. She couldn't leave school, not yet. She had already missed one day, and then some, when that snow storm hit. It wouldn't be responsible of her to leave now. People might start lumping her in with some of the other students... sighing, she shoved her book bag back into her locker and headed for one of the bathrooms instead. A splash of cold water on her face had her thinking clearly again. She would wait the day out. There was nothing else to do.
"Why, Koyama, what are you doing inside alone?"
The blonde tensed up before she could stop herself. Damn it. Damn it! Forcing herself to keep a composed face, she turned around. "Wakahisa, I could ask you the same question. Weren't you outside just a minute ago?"
Yuki's expression was openly ugly. All pretences were gone, politeness cast to the side. "You know, you think you're pretty damned smart, don't you, pulling little stunts with all of your little friends to back you up."
"What kind of stunts?" Mana kept her voice level. "Stunts like you're little outfit the other day?" Yuki's eyes narrowed dangerously as the blonde tried to push past. "Face it, Wakahisa, it's never going to work. Nothing you try ever does."
She was shoved back before she ever made it to the door. Mana wasn't sure of the name of the new girl in Yuki's group, but she thought she recognized her as an upper-classman. Damn. She was really ready to make a scene out of this! Yuki's arms were crossed over her chest in a manner that clearly read 'superiority issues.' Mana eased her hands behind her to push herself up, counting silently. Four against one. Not good...
"Is something going on in here?" Yuki only half-turned, eyeing the newcomer at the door. To Mana's surprise, Keiko Yukimura didn't even seem phased as she stepped into the small room. "Koyama, are you okay?"
Something in the girl's brown eyes seemed to be saying she understood what was going on. Mana nodded, murmuring a quiet "I'm fine." The older girl nodded once, her eyes showing that same understanding as she helped Mana rise to her feet. The blonde blinked at a sudden prod to her side; glancing down, she noticed with a start the motion the brunette was making before the girl relaxed her hand. She nodded again. "Thank you. I think I slipped on something."
"It's okay. These floors can get slippery, I know. There must be a leak somewhere." Mana frowned lightly; the floor was perfectly dry. She would know; she had just been sitting on it... and then Urameshi's girlfriend actually winked slightly. Mana's eyes widened just as Yuki cleared her throat. She couldn't possibly mean for her to...
"If you don't mind, we were having a private conversation before Koyama... slipped."
Yukimura turned, blocking Mana's right side with her body. "Well, I'm afraid this isn't the place to be doing it. You're disrupting the other students. The bathrooms aren't your private meeting rooms, you know." She easily countered Yuki's cross-armed stance with her own hands on her hips. "And besides, this doesn't look like very much of a conversation to me. Behavior like this will only make the school look bad."
Using her upper-classman's body to shield the motion, Mana raised her hand and fired her reigun before Yuki could respond. The results were better than she had hoped; the handle on the faucet actually broke off when the small shot hit it, sending a fountain of water shooting into the air right in the middle of the standoff. Yuki yelped and leaped backwards, slipping in the fast-growing puddle and landing hard on the floor. Mana and the other girls spent the next hour being questioned by the teachers, but the only explanation that anyone could really come up with was that the faucets were old and that something had given way. Mana sighed as she sank into a chair in the hallway, waiting to be sent home. Her clothes were were stiff from drying off, and she wanted to change...
The blow to the head came as a surprise, but not nearly as much as the fact that it was Yukimura, not Sachiko, who hit her. "Ow! What was that for?"
"I can't believe you did that to the sink." The girl sat down next to her, her damp hair plastered to the back of her neck. Mana stared in disbelief before hissing quietly.
"Well, what were you expecting me to do? You're the one who told me to fire!"
Now Yukimura had her arms crossed over her chest. "But I didn't think you'd go so far as property damage. That's Yusuke's job, not yours."
Mana cringed. "It was that or the mirror randomly exploding. The sink seemed like a better idea. I don't exactly have enough power to try sacrificing a toilet, and I needed something that seemed at least slightly plausible, so that was it."
To her surprise, the older girl actually laughed. "Well, I guess you have a point. Your choices were a bit limited, weren't they?" Mana nodded lightly. "I'm glad you're okay. I saw those girls following you into the bathroom, and it just looked like trouble."
Mana nodded, keeping her voice low. "Thanks, Yukimura. Wakahisa sort of has it in for me right now..."
There was a quiet nod. "You can call me Keiko, if you'd like. I don't mind." The blonde nodded, quieting as a teacher walked past. Keiko also fell silent until they were gone. "If you're going to be working with Yusuke, it means we'll probably be seeing more of each other now. So we might as well be friends, right?"
Eyes wide, Mana nodded slowly and watched as a repair man hurried towards the girl's restroom. "Then you can call me Mana, I guess."
Keiko actually smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. Are you going to be okay heading home on your own now?"
"I should be." Mana stood, brushing her skirt down slightly. Yuki chose that exact moment to storm down the hall, her eyes narrowing as they passed over Mana. It was almost enough to make her shiver. "Um... maybe not after all."
The final bell rang, and Keiko stood. "I'll walk with you, then. There's safety in numbers." Mana nodded quietly, ducking into the classroom to get her bag. The twins didn't seem to notice; they were busy speaking to the teacher. Mana slipped out the back door, sincerely hoping they wouldn't see her. She didn't feel like explaining what had happened in the bathroom in person. "Okay, let's go."
They headed out the gates silently. Keiko waited until they were a couple of blocks away from the school until she spoke. "You know, it's okay to tell someone if you're having problems with those girls. I don't think anyone will hold it against you."
"They would." Mana watched the ground as she walked. "Yuki would never give me a moment's peace if I got any of the teachers involved. And if I know the twins, Sachi would find a way to get herself in trouble, too. I'd rather my friends not have to deal with school problems because of this."
"I wasn't talking about telling the teachers." Keiko waggled a finger at her. "Maybe you and your friends should try sitting with me and my friends tomorrow. It might even help if you learned to talk to Yusuke, too. He does worry about you, you know."
The healer stared, unable to quite stop herself from running her mouth just a little. "That's news to me."
"That's because you don't really know him yet." Keiko shifted her bag. "Yusuke has never been very good at getting along with people. He's pretty much an idiot when it comes to trying to express himself, so it's kind of hard to tell what he really thinks sometimes. I've had my share of practice, though. I don't think he's nearly as bad as you think." Mana remained stone silent. The brunette seemed to recognize the topic as being raw territory; she changed the subject. "Why is this Wakahisa girl so mad at you, anyway?"
"It's mostly because of a contest the other day, I think." Grudgingly, Mana told Keiko about what had happened, leaving out the twin's theories about Jin. That was still just too weird to think about. Keiko was laughing quietly by the end of it. Mana frowned. "I don't see what's so funny..."
"I'm sorry. Your friends sound so interesting, is all." The older girl gave her a cheerful smile. "It's always good to have some backup in a situation like that."
"It's mostly Sachiko's backup. The ringleader of that group seems to think she's just adorable. I don't get it myself, but apparently she's a bit of a troublemaker."
"I can tell. Don't worry, though. Sometimes troublemakers can be useful, too." There was another laugh, although this time Keiko seemed to be giggling at herself. "Look at me, I can't believe I'm talking that way. Yusuke must be rubbing off on me."
Mana gave her a plaintive look. "Can't you try rubbing off on him instead? I think it might make him a lot more pleasant to be around."
"What do you think I've been trying to do for years now?" Keiko paused suddenly. "Mana, can I ask you something personal?"
Great. "I guess so." Mana had a vague idea that she knew where this was going. Yusuke must have put her up to this, he just had to have. This was his girlfriend, after all. Of course she'd question Mana's motives for...
"Mana, do you really like being by yourself all the time?"
The blonde stared. "Wh-what?"
"I hope you don't mind my asking. I was just wondering is all. You seemed so reluctant to hang out with the rest of us on Sunday, but at the same time there were a few times when you seemed like you really wanted to be a part of things. I was just wondering if maybe you felt a little lonely sometimes."
Mana swallowed slightly. "I'm mostly okay, really. I was just trying to loosen up a bit. I..." Keiko was giving her a look. The healer frowned. "I'm fine."
"If you say so." Her tone was openly disbelieving as they arrived outside Mana's apartment building. "Listen, if you ever need help again, you let me know, okay?" Mana nodded quietly. Keiko smiled again. "You know, you really should try actually talking to Yusuke. I think the two of you are a lot more alike than you realize."
For the life of her, Mana didn't even want to think about how to reply to that...
Jin only got to stay for a few more days before Suzuka came back to get him and Touya. At the very least it seemed to be long enough for Mana to start to loosen up slightly; she no longer came home from school quite so tense and paranoid once she knew she had an ally in Keiko Yukimura. Suzuka managed to avoid bringing up Mana's feeding techniques, which made Jin more than a little curious, but he decided to just roll with it. After all, who could predict the inventor's thought patterns? As long as Suzuka gave him the gates next time he wanted to go through, it was probably better not to argue... so he didn't. He just went with the flow. That was the best way to handle the wind, after all.
