Summary: For Mika, life is a constant struggle for survival. After some very unfortunate situations, she has isolated herself and is dangerously close to losing her sanity. That is, until she meets Kurama who turns her life upside down. But things begin to get out of control when it is discovered that she could have a strange connection to a mysterious legendary force that could be plotting a major takeover of all three worlds! Could her misery be nothing more that a cruel twist of fate or is this all connected to something even bigger?
Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho does not belong to me.
Angel's Cry
Chapter 16
"T.G.I.F."
"Mika, you've got table nine!"
Mika whipped her head towards her co-worker, and she forced herself to smile as she nodded. Sighing, she gathered the little that remained of her lunch and disposed of it in the trashcan before she shoved through the double doors to enter the cafe. The strong scent of coffee instantly engulfed her, but even that intoxicating smell couldn't shake her out of her mood today.
Thank. God. It's. Friday! she reminded herself. It's Friday. Friday. No work tomorrow.
It had been two months since her friends had returned home to start the school year. Even though everyone tried their hardest to stay in contact with her via text messages and phone calls, she still felt desperately lonely. She had made new friends at work, and they had gone out for dinner a few times, but they could never replace the others.
Kurama dropped in at least three times a week, but he was so busy with schoolwork and after-school activities that he couldn't always find the time to stay for a while. And when she had the time, she would go over to visit him at Shiori's house. Hiei dropped in every other day for a fleeting moment to check on her and make sure she was okay by herself. Yusuke and Kuwabara would often come to the cafe after school or when they were skipping to say hello, but other than that she hadn't seen much of them.
She saw the girls much more often than the boys however. Mika would stop by and say hello to Keiko a few times after work because her parent's restaurant was a few blocks away from the cafe. Botan would pop in at least every few days when she wasn't busy to keep her company. And Shizuru was over at least once a week because she had a car. Mika saw Yukina a few times when Shizuru was able to find the time to give the ice maiden a ride into town, but the two girls would always talk on the phone at least once a day-sometimes for a brief few minutes and sometimes for hours on end.
"Hello, I'm Mika and I'll be your waitress for today," she repeated her speech for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day, "May I get you something to drink?"
"Just water," the young woman answered swiftly. She brushed her dark bangs away from her face and stared intently at Mika with her eerily bright pink eyes.
"Alright, and may I start you with-"
"No appetizers. I want a house salad-just lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. No oil or dressing, just lemon wedges on the side."
"Ok," Mika perked an eyebrow as she scribbled down the order on her notepad. "I'll be sure to let the chef know."
"Thank you," the woman replied as she continued to stare.
Mika could feel the hair on her neck stand on end, and she hurried away to place the order with the chef. When she came to deliver the glass of water, the woman was now bent over an open manila folder. She seemed completely distracted, but when Mika approached the table to set down the tall glass, she flipped the paper over quickly. But she could see a strange picture of what looked to some sort of chain, and an insanely difficult math equation running down the length of the page in dark purple ink.
"Are you a college student?" Mika questioned, trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation.
"No," she replied simply. "I graduated two years ago."
"Really?" Mika asked in shock, tilting her head. "You look so young!"
"I am," she retorted with a snort as she gathered her long violet-black hair and twisted it into a ballerina bun. "I'm smart, so I got in college early and graduated early."
"Oh, wow," Mika forced a smile, trying not to let the lady see that her snippiness was getting to her. "What college?"
"It's not around here."
"Oh, okay. Well, ummm... your order will be ready shortly."
"That's fine," the woman nodded sharply before she reached down to retie with the dance sneakers on her feet.
Mika forced another smile and turned away from the table, hurrying as fast as she could to get away. She pushed through the double doors to check on the order before she plopped down in a chair. She pulled her cell phone out from her pocket and checked the screen. She had missed one call, and she had two new SMS messages. She peeked around the room to see if anyone was watched and dialed voicemail.
"Hi, Mika," a soothing voice sounded as the message began to play. "This is Shiori! I asked Shuichi for your number, and I just wanted to call and see how you were doing! I was actually hoping that you could join us for dinner sometime next week? I think Shuichi's a bit lonely so I wanted to see if you could cheer him up, and also, you know how I enjoy your company! You can give me a call back at this number..."
"ORDER UP! TABLE 3!"
Mika frowned as the frantic activity around her swelled and she could barely hear the phone number. She sighed and hung up, deciding that she would write down the number when she got home. She opened her inbox to check her SMS messages.
FROM: SHIZURU KUWABARA (CELL). 12:29 PM
hey girls- sleepover my place tomorrow around 8:30-ish...? let me know if u need a ride... text me back so i can know how much food to buy. k thx bye :)
Mika laughed and texted back her response before she hurriedly checked the last message.
FROM: KURAMA MINAMINO (CELL). 12:14 PM.
Hello, Mika. How are you?
Mika looked at the time that he sent the text message and frowned. She hastily typed back a reply.
REPLY TO: KURAMA MINAMINO (CELL). 12:47 PM.
hey, kurama... i'm good, but aren't u in class? u should be paying attention! :) i'm going to tell shiori on u...
"ORDER UP! TABLE 10!"
She frowned; the chef was taking awfully long with that salad. How long did it take to throw some vegetables on a plate? Her thoughts were distracted by the phone buzzing in her hand. She smiled when she saw that the message was from her favorite fox.
FROM: KURAMA MINAMINO (CELL). 12:48 PM.
Yes, I'm in class, but I'd much rather not be here. I know everything that my teacher is teaching. You wouldn't dare tell my mother. :-)
"ORDER UP! TABLE 9!"
Mika laughed at the message before she shoved the phone into her pocket. She would respond when she was done delivering the salad. Besides, she didn't want to keep that woman waiting any longer than she needed to.
She hurriedly grabbed the dish that was sitting out on the counter and gracefully whisked away through the double doors with the plate balanced on her palm. She approached the table where the woman looked down at her work, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. When Mika placed the plate on the table, the woman looked up-her eyes irritated.
"Well, that certainly took a while," she commented curtly. "For such a simple order, I didn't expect it to take such a long time."
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Mika apologized, "It usually doesn't take that long..."
"It's fine," she rolled her eyes before she sighed. "What's your name? I'm not going to complain to your boss," she added when she saw the hesitant look on the silverette's face.
"Ummm... I'm Mika, ma'am."
"Mika..." the woman recited as if she were committing the name to memory, "D-Do you know anything about spirits?"
"Ummm... no, not really."
The woman was silent for a moment, and it seemed like she was searching for the right words to say. "I can see them."
"Excuse me?"
"I can see spirits, and I can talk to them too."
Mika tried to contain the urge to give the woman a rude look. She sat there staring up at her with her strange eyes. Her face was serious as she continued.
"There's one following you, you know," she added as her eyes moved to stare at something behind Mika's back, "She's evil."
"What are you saying?" Mika questioned in a hitched voice. "There's nothing-"
"She's the same one that got my sister," the woman continued as her voice began to pick up speed, "She's evil, I tell you. She feeds on people's weaknesses-their despair, their anger, their pain. She'll stop at nothing to bring you down until you there's nothing left."
"You're crazy," Mika whispered in disbelief.
She couldn't help it. Her heart started pounding in fear. Who was this woman? And how did she know about all this? Humans weren't supposed to know about spirits and demons, right? As the woman continued to stare up at her with her strange eyes, Mika realized that this woman might not be what she seemed. Kurama had told her of demons disguised as humans who snuck into their world. This woman could quite possibly be dangerous.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Mika. And I wish I was crazy," she said, "But I'm not. I can help you, you know."
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Mika shook her head, "But I've got other costumers to-"
"You have nightmares, don't you?" the woman demanded. "You hear a voice in your dreams."
How did she know all this?
"What?" she said, hitching her voice to play along.
"She calls you a monster. She says she's waiting on you-she wants you to fight."
Mika placed her palms down on the table in order to remain calm, her eyes were stinging and her blood was boiling. She felt a sharp burning pain sear down her spine before it faded away just as quickly as it came. Who the hell was this woman? How did she know all of this stuff?
"What I say is the truth; I can see it all over your face! And you're scared, and I understand. I can help you-"
"You are crazy!" Mika said to the woman, clenching her teeth in an attempt to keep her composure, "If you don't mind, I have other customers. Enjoy your salad."
"Wait!"
But it was too late. Mika had already turned on her heel and was storming back towards the kitchen to wait for her next table assignment.
~.~.~.~.~
"Bye, Mika! See you tomorrow!"
Mika waved goodbye to her co-worker, and she watched as the woman began to drive away down the street. She let out a sigh as she withdrew her keys from her pocket and let herself into the empty house. She kicked off her shoes and dumped her stuff unceremoniously on the floor.
Ever since her confrontation with the strange woman at the cafe, she had been in an awful mood. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched and more than a few times she caught herself checking over her shoulder.
But now she was home. She was safe. And nothing could bother her or hurt her. She let out a relieved sigh as she hurried into the kitchen to take her daily medicine and make a small snack. She had been a good girl while her friends were gone-she always took her medicine and she ate thee square meals a day-even if they were on the small side.
When she finished eating, she went straight to the place she went to everyday after work-the basement. She ran down the hall towards the door that led to the Minamino's old basement; a bright smile on her face as she shoved the creaky door open and bounded down the short flight of stairs. She flicked the lights on and smiled when she saw it sitting there-the beautiful ebony piano. She could almost sigh in delight as she ran her fingers across the cool surface as she admired it.
Mika had spent all the money from her first paycheck to get the piano tuned. And it was worth every penny. It didn't take her long to become familiarize herself with the instrument again. She spent hours and hours down in the basement on the piano-sometimes until it was so late in the morning that she'd have to force herself to stop and go to sleep.
She absolutely loved it. She loved how her hands looked as they danced across the keys. She loved the ways the keys felt beneath her fingertips. The strike of the keys. The different sounds that floated around her. She loved how she out of all people could cause something so beautiful-a soft delicate melody or a strong catchy tune. She dreamed of music now. She could see and hear an entire orchestra playing-just for her. She'd wear a beautiful ball gown like in the fairytales, and she spin around a great marble dance floor with all her friends. Music took her to another place. A place that was completely indescribable. A place filled with no worries. No heartache. No loneliness. Just unimaginable bliss and happiness where she lived eternally.
She sat down on the bench and smiled to herself as she placed her fingers on the keys. She closed her eyes as she decided what song she would play. She remembered one that her co-worker, Roz, had taught her one day after work. They and a small group of others had stayed after closing time together to clean up, but instead she and two other co-workers found themselves onstage pretending to be the jazz band that played each night. Roz was on the piano; Mika was rocking out-well, attempting- on the guitar; and their friend, Juan, stood at the microphone, crooning a love song to his girlfriend and the other workers who watched in laughter. She and Roz had stayed two hours after closing time, practicing and practicing the song until Mika had managed to memorize the melody enough that she could play it all by herself. They even had stolen some sheet music from the pianist's locker so that she could take it home with her.
She closed her eyes and smiled at the memory as her fingers jumped from key to key, a lively jazz song filling the room. She shook her head along with the music as she hummed along to the melody. She wished that she knew the lyrics to the song so that she could sing along.
She could picture herself standing in the middle of the smoky cafe's stage. The cafe would be hushed to a quiet murmur as her name was announced followed by a roar of cheers and applause. She looked every bit like a classic femme fatale with her silvery hair fanned out around her made-up face in a sexy mess of loose curls. The sparkles on her slinky cocktail dress shimmered under the bright spotlight as she swayed to the music and sang along. She was the center of attention. She was that girl that made boy's jaws drop. She was the one that all the girls envied. And best of all, she was confident. She didn't worry about what people thought of her. She was hot shit. Hot talented shit and everyone knew it-including her.
She could feel her fantasy slipping away as her fingers slowed down. She let out a sigh as her fingers skipped across the keys and hit the last notes with an abrupt finish. She smiled to herself as she realized that she had managed to make it through the whole entire song without messing up.
"Damn, Mika!"
Mika nearly jumped out of her seat in shock when she heard someone yelling from behind her and scattered applause. She whipped her head around in the direction of the sudden noise, and her face instantly heated up to a scorching temperature.
"What are you all doing here?" she squeaked in surprise.
"What? You're not happy to see us?" Yusuke leaned against the wall and grinned at her like a cat.
Kuwabara stood beside him laughing hysterically while Kurama just smiled at her.
"Well, we came to surprise you-" the redheaded fox began with a grin.
"But you wouldn't answer your phone or open the door, but I guess you were too busy rockin' out, eh?" Yusuke joked as he went over to her and elbowed her in the side.
"Ow!" Mika complained as she swatted at him, "Stop teasing me!"
"No, it was great!"
"Yeah! Where the hell did you learn to play like that?" Kuwabara questioned.
"I've been practicing for a while," Mika answered reluctantly before she glared at the group of boys, "Stop laughing!"
"I'm surprised you didn't hear us come in!" Yusuke said as he sat down beside her on the small bench.
"How did you all get in anyway?" she questioned as she tried to push the brunette beside her off the seat.
"I still have my old key," Kurama said as held up a ring of keys and shook them with a smile. "Have you eaten dinner yet? We brought food and movies."
"Yeah," Kuwabara added, "We felt bad 'cuz we haven't been around much so we decided that a movie marathon would be nice."
"That sounds fun!" Mika smiled at them. "I don't have work tomorrow-"
"And we don't have school, so we'll just spend the night here. Is that cool?" Yusuke questioned, "I'm trying to lay low right. Keiko's pretty mad, so I'm trying to stay away from my house. That's the first place she'll come looking for me."
"Sure," she smiled. "I don't mind."
"Cool!" Kuwabara grinned, "C'mon, let's eat! The food is going to get cold."
Mika watched as the two teenage boys ran out of the room and bounded up the stairs noisily. She couldn't help but shake her head when she heard a loud thud above followed by Yusuke's raucous laughter. Kurama just smiled as he watched her. She turned and caught his eye with a grin.
"You shouldn't stare," she remarked teasingly. "It's not polite, y'know."
"Who said I was polite?"
"No one, but I was under the impression that you were a gentleman."
He stood from his seat and began to walk towards her; his eyes never left hers. "Maybe I'm not a gentleman?"
She just stared back at him, trying her hardest to keep her lips from twitching in laughter. She could feel nervousness swell up in the pit of her stomach as he sat down beside her and kept inching closer and closer. She wanted to look away from his eyes-but they were so... green and entrancing... and so...
"You win!" she squealed as she shoved him away with a laugh. "Stop, you're creeping me out now."
Kurama just grinned at her, "Mika, you should know by now that I always win."
"No, you're just conceited," she stuck her tongue out at him as she flicked him in the head.
Kurama just laughed at her, and he reached out to ruffle her hair, "So how have you been feeling? Is that pain back?"
"Its been two months, Kurama! Why are you still so worried?"
"Has that burning feeling been coming back?" he repeated.
She just frowned back at him as she shifted on the bench, and she absentmindedly tapped a bouncy tune on the piano. "Every once in a while, but it disappears quickly. It happened today, but I haven't felt it for a while."
"Akiko took that needle with her, so we were never able to analyze the drug. But if it starts to hurt again, please let me know. Ok?"
She nodded but kept her eyes on the keys, not bothering to argue with him because she already knew that he would win.
"When did you get this tuned?" he questioned as he watched her fingers jump from key to key.
"When I got my first paycheck from work," she answered with a smile, "I found it down here when I was looking at Shiori's artwork. Is this her piano?"
"Actually, it belonged to my dad. This room used to be a studio where my father would practice his music and my mother would paint. But when my father passed, my mother would rarely come down here-I imagine because the studio had a lot of memories. Then, it became more of a basement where my mom would just store all her old artwork."
Mika could feel her lips twitching into a frown, "Poor Shiori..."
"Yes, but it's alright now," he smiled, "I'm just thankful that she's happy. If you'd have told me, I would've gotten the piano tuned for you. You didn't have to spend your own money-"
"No," she shook her head, "It's ok; I didn't want you to pay for it. Besides, it kept me motivated to work."
"How is work going by the way?" he grinned, "I could tell you were busy; you never did respond to me."
"Oh! I'm sorry about that," she apologized.
"Tough day?"
"You know it. Thank god it's Friday..."
"Why don't you tell me about it?"
"Well, the owner of the place has been really on edge lately. He's usually a really nice guy but he's done a complete 180 in the last few days. I've heard that he's been having problems with the band that plays there at night. They want more money, but right now he can't afford to pay them anymore than he does. The cafe is new, y'know? So he's still paying money for other things right now."
"Is the band going to quit?" Kurama questioned, leaning forward.
She smiled. She loved talking to him. He was always so interested in what she had to say, even if it was just a silly story about work.
"I sure hope not. That's what I look forward to every evening! And, besides-that's the thing that attracts the most customers. If the band quits, we're all screwed..."
"Well, maybe he'll work out something? Besides, if the band quits maybe you can play piano. You seem to know what you're doing."
She threw her head back and laughed, "I've been practicing everyday for hours on end since I've got it tuned. I just love it."
"I can tell," he smiled at her. "The way you played-you could tell that you just have so much passion for it. I wish I had something I was that passionate about..."
She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks as he began to stare at her. She shifted her gaze away from him and began to tap another tune on the piano. "Ummm... what about guitar? You seem passionate about that."
He seemed a bit discouraged when she turned away from him because his tone of voice took on a slightly gloomy feel. She only picked up on it because she knew him so well. She turned to him, her head tilted in confusion.
"Guitar is only a hobby to me. I'm not as passionate about it as you seem to be for the piano."
"You'll find something one day, Kurama," she smiled at him as she placed one hand on his shoulder.
"I know," he smiled back. "Thanks, Mika."
"You're welcome. So what have you all been up to lately? I haven't seen you around lately this week."
"This week has really been hectic in Spirit World," he sighed. "We know that Akiko helped the thief get into the vault. We've been searching for her, but no one's seen her. And we haven't even gotten the thief's name yet. It's been ridiculous."
"I just hope that everything works out soon," she said thoughtfully, "Everyone seems to be on edge about it. Hiei even drops in every day now to check on me."
"With everything going on, I can't blame him. I'd never let you out of my sight if I could help it."
"Never?" she grinned.
"Never."
"Does that mean you'd even follow me into the bathroom?" she giggled.
Kurama's face turned a faint shade of red, "I didn't mean it like-"
Mika turned so that she was facing him. She looked into his eyes and just smiled. "I'm just teasing you."
He laughed at her before he reached out to punch her lightly in the arm.
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit a lady?" she chided playfully.
"You're not a lady," he retorted.
"I'm pretty sure I am. I've got the breasts to prove it."
"Really? You must be mistaken because you're as flat as a surfboard."
"Shut up, Kurama!" she giggled. "I'm not that flat. Besides, the doctor says that I'll start to fill out more once I gain more weight."
Kurama was about to open his mouth to respond when a loud stomping noise sound above them.
"HEY! ARE YOU GUYS COMING TO EAT? IF YOU TWO DON'T HURRY UP WE'RE GONNA EAT IT ALL!"
"AND WE'RE GONNA START THE MOVIE WITHOUT YOU! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING DOWN THERE?"
"GETTIN' BUSY AGAIN?"
Kurama shook his head as Mika could feel her face heating up in embarrassment as she could hear the two boys stomping on the floor above their heads. She yelled for them to shut up as she stood up and grabbed onto Kurama's arm.
"C'mon, let's go," she said as she pulled him out of his chair and towards the stairs.
Kurama let out a sigh as he flicked off the light behind him, and they bounded up the stairs. "We're never going to hear the end of this."
"Hah, tell me about it..."