Ride like the Wind
Chapter 26
August 5
"August and you're already fifteen. Can't believe how fast time flies…" Keiko sighed as she watched the sunset on the roof of Yusuke's house.
"Yup. I remember when we were kids… I used to drive you nuts! You remember that?" Yusuke asked his friend while a smile.
"How can I not? You still do!"
"How can you say that?" He noticed Keiko sighed at him. "Hey, I'm gonna be going to New York soon."
"What, you want me to grab you by the ankles and tell you not to go?"
"No, when I come back, we're gonna get married."
Keiko frowned at him. "You're stupid if you really think I'll do that."
"What? Why not?"
"Yusuke, I'm a normal girl. You're… not."
"Of course I'm not, Keiko! I'm a guy!" Yusuke burst out laughing.
"Yusuke, you know what I mean. I'm honest when I say no. Your friends are that demon guy that killed people in New York and Chicago. Then you have that other one that has a fox demon living in him. Another is a horrible exorcist. And don't get me started on that priest with the pacifier. It's too much for me to handle."
"What's wrong with the guys?"
"Yusuke, I already told you. I'm a normal girl. I want to live a normal life." She climbed off the roof. "I want to get married and have kids… Normal would be without the demons. I can't take this much longer. I'm going to find myself a good boyfriend and marry him instead." She walked away.
"Yeah, well… Fine! I don't want a nagging bitch like you to be my wife anyway! You go and marry that weenie! I don't care!" Yusuke jumped off the roof and kicked up dust, both angry and brokenhearted. Stupid Keiko.
---
Yusuke thought about long and hard as he went to New York along. How was Keiko able to see someone else and love them when he was still in love with her? All the girls he met were okay (I guess… he had thought.) but he still felt the room in his heart for Keiko.
Normal life my ass, he thought as he walked in the streets of New York City. I'm still PO'ed after that. I feel like beating someone's face in right now…
Someone bumped shoulders with him. Yusuke didn't look back at them.
That guy had a spooky aura… he thought as he walked on. Wait… I still feel him behind me. Is he following me or am I just paranoid?
Yusuke took a sudden turn but he still felt the aura. He took another and moved faster but the aura was still after him. He took another turn and another. The aura was still behind him.
Okay, this bastard is following me! Last time I was in New York, you didn't get jumped for bumping into someone! Yusuke ran into an alley.
"Okay, so what's with the following?" he asked. He examined the stalker closely. Whoever he was, he definitely didn't want to be noticed or recognized.
"Am I right in assuming you're Yusuke Urameshi?" the stalker asked.
"Depends on who's asking." Yusuke raised an eyebrow.
"I've heard talk you defeated the Brokers of Darkness single-handedly. You've also overcome a bout with the famous thousand year old fox Youko Kurama. Shinobu Sensui was also no challenge for you, was he?"
Brokers of Darkness? That was Hiei! I was laying in the background bleeding to death! I was freaking out over Kurama being Youko Kurama! And Sensui… That was someone else. That Raizen guy… Yusuke thought before he said, "What you want me to kick your sorry ass, too?"
"Heh heh… You're not very bright are you?" He removed his hat to reveal his shining bald head and black eyes.
Yusuke stared in shock, his eyebrow raised. He burst out laughing. "You're… Heh! You should've left that hat on! No wonder you didn't want to be seen!"
"Silence child!" He's just like Raizen. He did the exact same thing…
"Okay, but really… Who are you?"
"Hokushin. I'm a powerful demon so don't think you could win with your Spirit Energy and fists alone. You see, what makes me special is that I have the most flexible body in Demon World." He demonstrated this by twisting his whole body into a spiral shape. "I can pick up a rock twenty miles away by stretching. Impressive?"
Yusuke looked at him like he was an idiot. "Well, that's dumb. Who would want to pick up a rock that's twenty miles away? There's plenty…"
"You're missing the point!"
"Okay! Geez! Second of all, how do you know me?"
"You know who Raizen is? He's an ancestor of yours."
Bingo! "What else do you know?"
"I was sent to find you because Raizen… Is dying."
"Dying? How?"
"He stopped eating. He starved himself for seven hundred years. I don't understand why. Maybe he's insane?"
"How do you know all this?"
"I've helped Raizen for a while…" Something hit the back of his head with a loud "thud!"
"It's the other way around, buddy!" the attacker growled.
Yusuke looked at the passed out Hokushin and at the attacker.
He was a demon, that's for sure. He had long white hair that almost touched his ankles. His pointed ears poked out of his hair like knives. His there was a starving look in his black eyes and his pupils were thin like a cat's. He was slightly tanned and thin. He seemed like he was bending over all the time because of his height. (Yusuke would find out later that he never stood-or sat-up straight.)
The words fell from Yusuke's lips: "Are you… Raizen?"
"Raizen you say?" he asked. Drama… "I love Raizens! They're really good if you eat them with a lot of sugar! The only time they're horrible is when one of my friends tries to make them. If there's one thing they can't cook, it's Raizens."
"You dope! Those are raisins! You are Raizen!" Hokushin growled after he regained his consciousness only to be whacked unconscious again.
"Whatever," he growled. He raised an eyebrow at Yusuke and eyed him with curiosity. "Hm… A demon slayer. That's really ironic. A demon slayer with demon's blood in his veins."
Raizen poked Hokushin with his foot. "Well, down to business now. We'll have to make a run for it if we don't want this retard hanging around while we're talking."
"S… Sure…" Yusuke followed him out of the alley.
"Believe me, kid. You don't want to trust a guy who can stretch himself out or wants to grab a rock that's twenty miles away."
"That's true…" This guy's kinda creepy though…He reminds me of… Well, me.
---
"So who are you?" Raizen asked.
"Who am I?" Yusuke repeated, not understanding what the demon meant. 'You don't know? I'm Yusuke Urameshi."
"I asked who you are, not your name."
"Okay you're asking weird questions. What's that mean?"
"What defines you? What makes you different from any other Yusuke?"
"My last name. My face. My middle name."
"…Other than that."
"Well what's that supposed to mean and where'd that come from? I'm…" He thought about what Keiko said before saying he was normal. I guess I am weirder…
"I know someone in Boston who does the same thing. I think she passed it onto me. I'm starting to get convinced that Germans are always drunk even though she could take five glasses of beer and still be sober." He saw Yusuke staring. "What's turning in there?"
"It's nothing."
"…Was it a girl?"
Sigh. "Yeah."
"What'd you do? You realize that one of our hands is strictly used for scratching our balls and really shouldn't touch…"
"Forget it. And yes I know that already. Just for her! She's just a stupid bitch!"
Silence. Raizen gave him a long blank stare. "…So what's so special about New York anyway…? I always hear how great it is and I see nothing."
"There's the Statue of Liberty."
"That it?"
"I guess. I dunno! I've been in Mexico half my life. But hey, that pretty much makes New York's greatness. It's the whole symbol of the USA!"
"And it was built by a French man. How'd you end up in Mexico?"
"How'd you end up here when you got that girl in Boston?"
"It's not like you think. If I felt like I was turning blue, I still wouldn't do her. I don't think she's that attractive. Something told me something was going to happen here."
"As for me, Mom probably liked the food and figured she'd get more if she went there. I dunno."
"Why'd you become a demon slayer?"
"Why'd you stop eating?"
Silence. "I'll tell you later. So show me the greatness of New York I missed."
---
Thinking back on everything… Why did I become a demon slayer? Wasn't it because of…? He stared at Raizen who was poking a frog with a stick. Yeah. I remember now… It was…
Raizen jumped on Yusuke's back. "Surprise butt sex!"
"Augh! Bad Raizen! Bad! You're not supposed to do this kinda thing to me!" Yusuke waved his arms around. Once Raizen let him go, Yusuke growled, "What the hell, man?"
"You looked like you were thinking too hard. You can't turn the creaking wheels if they need oil. …That and I needed a laugh."
Yusuke shook his fist at the demon. "Anyway… Whatdya want?"
"…You're against slavery, right?"
"Have no say. Never thought about it. I guess I'm not for it."
"Then you'll get along with her just fine. She's so anti-slavery it's kinda creepy…" His voice went on.
Man, this whole deal's crazy. First Kurama has to leave… Then Keiko… And now here's Raizen who can drop dead any second because he hasn't been eating. Then there's this weird German lady in Boston. Why doesn't he call her by her name? How'd I end up with this guy's blood anyway?
"You feeling okay?" Raizen asked.
"Yeah… Sure…" Yusuke replied absentmindedly. What's going on here?
End chapter 26
Notes:
1. Yusuke's birthday- I don't know his birthday. I heard someone say it was August fifth. Don't ask.
Sorry to any New Yorkers who got mad at Raizen. Actually, I'm not sure of any other landmarks that were in New York at this time… Yes, the Statue of Liberty was built by a French man. It was actually modeled by his mom…
I never realized how inappropriate the extra last time was. I mean, I come from a home where people make jokes connecting Star Wars and yaoi…. And for that I am kinda amused but…
Extra 9… I think… Yusuke's girlfriend.
"You guys, this is all Keiko's fault!" Hiei yelled out.
"Shut up, Hiei!" Yusuke growled.
"Keiko's the one who pissed Yusuke off all because she's a big fat, stupid bi-"
"Don't say it!"
"Well…!"
Keiko smacked Hiei."
XD Review please!