Ride like the Wind
Chapter 54

"Maya! We're here!" Kaitou called into the empty house. He grumbled something that was overpowered by the sound of its echo. Kurama guessed it was something along the lines of "Where the hell is this damn girl?" He yelled again, "Maya! I know you're in here! You better not be playing that Ouija board!"

"Are you sure she'd here? And what makes you think she'd be playing..." Kurama froze when they turned the corner to see a girl with her fingers glued to the board. Her fingers slid towards bye.

"No, Uncle Jack don't go!" the girl cried. "They want to say hello!" The fingers went to the word hello on the board. They spelled "I-H-A-V-E-TO-G-O-M-A-Y-A. G-O-O-D-B-Y-E." and slid back to the word goodbye. "Uncle Jack..." She took her fingers away from the board. "Kaitou! You made uncle Jack go away!"

"I don't care if you were talking to the queen! No Ouija Board for you! And that makes such an awful impression on you! Throw that thing in the fire." Kaitou took it from the table and threw it in the open flames. The room was filled with blood curdling screams. Maya stared at the ashes her eyes wide with fear.

She turned to Kurama. "You must be the American Kaitou wanted to bring. I'm sorry you had to see that awful display. I'm Maya Kitajima." She kissed the redhead on the forehead. "I'll get the tea." She walked out of the room, clearly upset.

"She'll smell the demon on you. She's into that kind of stuff. Don't let her get to you. She can be nice and..." Kaitou was interrupted.

"I"m sure she is. But you trying to convince me won't work," Kurama replied. He stared at the ashes that was once a Ouija board. "That thing will come back. They always do. I know my brother has one. He tried to get rid of it to hide it from us but I saw him try to be rid of it."

"Oh god..." Kaitou sighed. "Try not to let her find out you're..."

"Ah! Kaitou! I recognized the voice." Someone walked in with a bottle of champagne. "I knew you would return to England one day. And in time for our classes."

"Hello, Sakyo." Kaitou greeted him sourly.

"Another cousin?" Kurama asked.

"No, no relation between us. I'm a friend of Maya's you see. I'm sure you..." He stopped and stared at the ashes. "...met her. And her uncle, I believe."

"Ah, I'm Shuichi Minamino." Kurama shook Sakyo's hand. "A pleasure."

"Ah, an American. Delighted. Or are you one of those Japanese men that come to see the beauty in the west?"

"American. That happens to be part Japanese."

"And what do you mean by our classes?" Kaitou added bitterly.

"I mean we are taking the same classes at the same school. Maya showed me your letter. Pleasure to be in the same class. And Shuichi, I hope we become close friends. I've been losing so many. I knew a man in Mexico that was killed because of his fetish for demons. He was a good mayor." He saw Maya struggle to carry all the teacups. "Need any help Maya?"

"No. I have it here."

Kaitou frowned.

---

"You're gonna crash into someone," Shura said.

Mitarai ignored him and continued to focus on the paper with the list of his books to notice. "You jumped onto another grade level? Your father must be proud."

"Yeah, you dumb Frenchman. You're gonna crash."

"What did you-?!" He crashed into someone. "Ow! I'm sorry... Kurama?"

Kurama who was walking with Kaitou stared down at the blonde. "Mitarai? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Paris or somewhere in France."

"Oh, I'm studying for medical school here with this boy's father." He pointed at Shura who looked outraged with that comment.

"I'm Shura, not this boy!" He kicked Mitarai in the shins. "And they know who I am."

"I don't know who you are," Kaitou broke in. "But I have seen a psychotic man that looks like you."

"That's my father."

"I thought you lived in New Jersey, Shura." Kurama replied. "What brought you to London?"

"Yomi got married," Shura replied simply.

"To who?"

"Who else? That whore Mukuro."

"He did? And she's no..."

"I thought you knew since that weird Mexican guy whines about her so much. What was his name? Hiei? How has he been anyway?"

He actually cares? "I don't know. I haven't seen him in a while. I bet that he's been moping. He's actually an emotional guy despite what people say. And Mukuro..."

"She..." He looked like he was just smacked on the back of the head. "Is... Well." He half tripped over the word well.

"We have to go, Shura. I'll see you later, Kurama." Mitarai dragged the demon, who was staring at the redhead, away.

Yomi married Mukuro? Who knew?

---

"Would you lay off on that whatever it is you're drinking! If I could inspire Yomi to quit masturbating and cussing so much I could get you off alcohol." Koenma growled.

"Yeah and I do the same. You never cut me off mine. Leave me alone. I'm just not feeling it today. Go back to Russia and leave me alone." Hiei groaned from bed.

"Go back to Russia! The words that come from your mouth! I say you better get out of bed and get dressed and..."

Hiei rolled out of bed and almost immediately threw up. He stumbled threw his mess. "I'm up. You okay now?"

"You're in your vomit. You look pale."

"Great maybe I'll get friends that way."

"Listen to me, Hiei Jaganshi. You were raised by thieves. The coldest people around and you tell me you want to die after you're alone. You were raised to be alone when need be. And you need to be alone and to talk to yourself."

"Oh god. That's nice but I feel really sick..." He threw up on his feet.

Koenma cringed and put a hand on the demon's forehead. "You're sick. Go wash up and I'll get you something. Really though. It's hard to imagine you were that same troublesome boy."

"But I am, aren't I?" He wiped the vomit off his feet with an old shirt on the ground. "I'm my own son and I just want to work things my own way. If I want to be soft then I will be. Who cares."

"Sick man and you sound healthy."

"You're sure I'm not drunk?"

"Yes. You have a fever." He wiped up the vomit off the ground. "Clean this later. Listen. Jin sent you a letter. He sent it to me to give to you. I'll read it out loud.

"'Hiei

'I got back from Ireland. Things didn't go so well. My cousins were trying to run me into a marriage and I didn't want to get into trouble like that. I'm in London now looking for some job to do. I kinda wanna go back to Mexico but I'm not coming back until I get things straight here. Anyway hope you're doing okay.

"'Jin.'"

Hiei rolled over. "The fool! The poor fool!"

---

Tests came and went. Kurama was beginning to feel unsatisfied with this new life. He yearned to have the life back in California but he knew that it was too late to turn back now. Maya asked him again and again, "Are you happy?" She even offered to have him sent back home. He refused. He told himself that he was. He was later sent a letter by Koenma.

"Kurama

"How has London been treating you? Things are messy here with Hiei and what with Yusuke going off to find Kuwabara. I hope things are well with you. I don't like hearing bad news from friends. Anyway I have been fine I suppose in the best way I could be.

"By the way, Jin said he's in town in London. I know Yomi and Shura are too. With Mukuro in the house. I hope you get at least Mukuro to contact Hiei. He's in a wreck and he's ailing. His sickness has been getting worse.

"Talk soon.

"Koenma."

He never replied.

---

Mitarai came home with Shura that day to see Mukuro sitting in a corner holding her nose.

"Mrs. Cromwell? My god! What happened?" Mitarai gasped. "Is that glass on your arm! How could you get glass on your arm?!"

"I fell and knocked down glass. Get me a towel, will you? I'm bleeding. Bad," Mukuro replied. "And don't call me Mrs. Cromwell. It makes me feel old."

"It's disrespectful to say anything else. And I think someone might've done this to you."

"Don't be silly. I fell. You know how clumsy I am."

"Not that bad."

But Shura knew and he walked up the stairs. Yes, the glass of a bottle was broken in the hall. She was cut up. He knew all of it. But he played the innocent little kid.

End chapter 54

Notes
1. Ouija board- For those of you that don't know, it's a board that is said to contact spirits. You put your fingers on it and it moves to hello at the beginning and the spirit could count numbers or spell words as set on the layout. It goes to goodbye at the end. You must believe in it for it to work. Also it's almost impossible to get rid of or so they say.
2. Japan is just getting out of isolation to avoid imperialism through the Meiji restoration where they set agents of a sort to study western culture.

I bet you looked at my favorites list. And you're probably wondering... Why is there a Yukina/ Mukuro story there! One I hardly read my favorite stories before putting them there so it's crowded. Two I realized after watching Kashi Mashi that... I wanna read girl on girl action! Come on I'm bi. Get over it. And I do lean towards the girls. So ha! You were just pwned!

So why add Sakyo? I wanted Kaitou to hate someone he already knew in England. So here he is! What's going on with Mukuro? I think she's nuts. But I think you already guessed.

Review please.