Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. Never have, never will.
"You're coming, firefly, and nothing you say will get you out of it." I came out from behind the kitchen counter, walking into the living room toward my uncooperative boyfriend.
Scowling, Hiei glared at me. "You can not command me to do something," he stated. "I have no interest in going to an amusement park."
Taking a step forward, I bent down, leaning over him where he sat on the couch. "Hiei, you are going to come." I paused, allowing time for each calmly stated word to sink in. "This is supposed to be a fun day that we will be enjoying with our friends and you are not getting out of it."
"Hn, what is fun about spending a day among a bunch of loud, annoying humans and riding metal deathtraps?"
"You would do well to remember that I am human," I snapped, narrowing my eyes at the obstinate fire demon. Then, with a small, devious smile, I added, "Metal deathtraps? Are you implying that you're scared of rollercoasters?"
"No!" he barked immediately. My question had sparked the response I'd been hoping for. Insulting Hiei's pride was the best way to get him to cave. "How could something so pathetic and useless scare me?"
"I don't know. It just seems to me that you're refusing to go for silly reasons and the only thing I could think of to justify you refusal is that you are afraid. But Hiei Jaganshi would never be afraid of something. I should have known that," I said, making each word patronizing. "Although, the only way you can really prove that you aren't afraid is by coming and going on a few rollercoasters."
"I will go," he muttered, his eyes not meeting mine.
"Good," I replied, smiling and slapping his knee good-naturedly. "Go get dressed. We're leaving in fifteen minutes."
I stepped back and allowed Hiei to stand, watching as he made his way to our bedroom. Biting my lip, I admired his backside and barely fought down a giggle at my own naughty thoughts.
Hiei had taken to wearing his boxers around the apartment and I had to admit that I liked the show. I think that he meant it as some kind of test, some way of seeing how comfortable I was with him, and originally I hadn't done so well. The first morning that I had come out of our room and found him sitting on the couch watching the news in his boxers, I'd become a blushing, stuttering mess. But as the days went by it became so commonplace for him to be clad only in boxers that it no longer fazed me.
In fact, I'd decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. Needless to say, the expression on his face when he came out of the bathroom and found me getting into bed in only a sports bra and shorts had been hilarious. He'd growled something about me testing his restraint and lay down with his back to me.
It hadn't even been ten minutes before he rolled over, pulled me to him, and fell asleep with his face pressed to my hair.
He disappeared into the bedroom and I headed back to the kitchen, returning to what I had been doing before our little squabble. Popping my bagel into the toaster, I ran through a mental list of what I needed to bring, murmuring each thing aloud as I thought of it, "Enough money for two day passes and food, CDs for the car ride, directions to the park, sunscreen."
I checked quickly to make sure that I had put on my bathing suit rather than underwear and realized that I hadn't told Hiei to wear his. "Hiei?" I called. My bagel popped up and I grabbed it, setting it down on a paper towel.
"What?"
"Do you have a bathing suit? You know, swim trunks?"
"Yes."
"Wear it."
He didn't respond, which I decided to interpret as acceptance. I retrieved the cream cheese from the fridge and spread it over my bagel, tossing the dirty knife into the sink.
Strong arms wrapped around me just as I took the first bite of my breakfast. Swallowing, I asked, "All ready?"
"Hn."
"Do you want a bite?" I held my bagel up so that it was in his reach. He leaned against me, taking a quick bite of the bagel. "Eww, don't chew in my ear," I scolded, breaking free of him and picking up the paper towel on which the other half of my bagel sat. Still eating the first half, I made my way toward the front door. "Grab my bag on the counter. It has all the stuff we need for today."
Hiei swung the bag over his shoulder and followed me, licking cream cheese off his lips. I slipped on my sandals and pulled the door open, stopping when realized I had forgotten something crucial. "Hiei, could you get my car keys? They're on the coffee table."
"You should carry something of your own," he informed me. But he turned anyway and found my keys. Walking past me out the door, he smirked confidently and twirled the keys around his finger.
"I am carrying something," I muttered, following him and pulling the door shut behind me.
"Your bagel does not count."
I stuck my tongue out at him. Darting past him, I entered the stairwell before him and jogged down the stairs. Just because he wasn't overly happy about our trip, didn't mean I was going to let him ruin my day. He followed me at a slow walk and I reached my car before he had even left my apartment building.
Tapping my foot, I waited impatiently, wishing that I had taken my keys from him. By the time he finally reached my car, I was ready to start pulling my hair out. He tossed me the keys and I caught them, opening the doors quickly. "Get in," I snapped, thoroughly annoyed with his teasing.
"Why are you rushing?" he asked, climbing in and fastening his seatbelt. "It is not as though Yusuke will be ready when we get there. He will be at least twenty minutes late."
I didn't bother arguing, not when Hiei was so clearly right, but I let out an exasperated sigh and backed out of my parking spot.
"You're going to have fun today," I told him as I pulled out into traffic. "Amusement parks are awesome."
He was quiet for a second before saying, "I don't see how you can like them so much. If you are scared of heights, what is there for you to do?"
"Ah, but you see that is where you are wrong. I'm only scared of heights when there is a possibility of falling. When I'm strapped into a rollercoaster, there is no way in hell that I could fall out."
"Plenty of people have died on those things," Hiei growled, glaring out the window.
"Plenty is probably an exaggeration. Yeah, there are accidents. I'll give you that. But the chances of getting hurt are very low." I stopped at a red light and looked at him. "A lot lower than the chances of you getting hurt fighting demons."
"Hn, it's different."
"Yeah, the odds are a lot worse in your situation."
The light turned green and I stepped on the gas. Hiei didn't respond and I had to fight back laughter. How was it that he could be afraid of something like a rollercoaster?
When I pulled into the diner's parking lot, I saw that Kuwabara's SUV was already there. "See," I gloated, "we aren't even the first ones here."
Hiei ignored me, stepping out of the car and closing the door. Rolling my eyes, I followed him, locking the doors behind me.
Kuwabara was leaning against the driver's side door of his car, watching us approach. "Keiko's yelling at Yusuke because he's running late, so I figured I'd wait out here," he said, reaching up to cover a yawn with his hand. "Yukina and Botan are inside, going to the bathroom before we leave."
Kuwabara had picked the two girls up at the train station the night before and the three had stayed the night in Kuwabara's new apartment. We'd invited Botan so that Kurama would have a ride partner and wouldn't feel like the third wheel.
Or, well, seventh.
"Where's Kurama?" I asked, stopping in front of Kuwabara. Hiei handed me my bag and headed for the diner, murmuring something about wanting to hear Yusuke getting scolded by his woman.
"Pulling into the parking lot," Kuwabara answered dryly.
"What?" I whirled around and, sure enough, Kurama was just beginning to park his car. "Oh."
Kurama joined us a minute later. "Yusuke's late?" he asked, glancing at the diner.
"How'd you guess?"
Kurama chuckled and checked his watch. "He actually isn't late yet. We agreed to leave at ten but it's only nine fifty. He has ten minutes."
We chatted idly, waiting for the rest of our group. When the others finally emerged from the diner, it was fifteen minutes after we were supposed to have left.
"I call shotgun," I said, darting around Kuwabara's SUV and scrambling into the front passenger's seat. Seating arrangements had been decided on the night before and I was going to be the only girl riding with Kuwabara. The other girls were going with Kurama. I had refused to ride with the redhead because I wanted control of the radio, which I would only get with Kuwabara.
Grumbling, Yusuke slid into the seat behind Kuwabara while Hiei took the one behind me. Kuwabara sat down in the driver's seat and pulled his door shut. "You've got the directions right?" he asked.
"Yep." I tugged the folded sheet of paper out of my bag and opened it, flattening it out against my knee. I read off the first set of directions and Kuwabara pulled out of the parking lot, Kurama following in his own car.
The next set of directions wouldn't come for another few minutes and I set about trying to decide which CD to put in. "Evens or odds?" I asked, turning around to look at Yusuke.
"What?"
"Just pick."
"Evens."
I turned back around, popping open the case in my left hand and sliding the CD into the player. Messing with the volume until it was at a tolerable level, I said, "Alright, so we've got forty minutes to kill. Who's up for road games?"
Yusuke groaned in the backseat and I grinned. "How about not?" he snapped. "Jeeze, Shy. What are you? Twelve?"
"I was just trying to keep the children entertained."
"Excuse me?" Yusuke asked, annoyance dripping from every word.
"Did you have trouble hearing me?"
"Don't call me a child!"
I peered over Keiko's shoulder at the map of the park, trying to figure out where we were. We'd gotten to the park just after eleven and the gates had just opened. Besides money, we had left everything in the cars and bought day passes. Now, standing just inside the gates, we were attempting to decide where to go first.
"I can see a rollercoaster," Yusuke said, staring through the trees toward a large, twisting rollercoaster. "I say we go on the rides that will have lines first. That way we don't have to wait once people start showing up.
"Sounds good," Kuwabara replied, starting off in the direction of the rollercoaster, his arm wrapped around Yukina's shoulders.
Keiko sighed, but didn't argue. I took the map from her, studying it as we walked. "That rollercoaster is called the Screwdriver. It goes upside-down."
"Wonderful," Hiei muttered. He was walking at my side, glaring at the people we passed.
The park wasn't particularly crowded yet, but I had a feeling that would change in a few hours time. Hopefully, the crowds wouldn't get too large.
When we reached the rollercoaster, we joined the line, winding between the rails that controlled the line's direction. Grinning, I hoisted myself up onto the rail and sat down. The line was so short that we would probably get onto the next ride.
"Where should we go next?" Yusuke asked.
I glanced down at the map in my lap. "There's this ride called the Frisbee that looks like it could be fun."
"The Frisbee?" Botan asked. "Do you know what it's like?"
"Yeah, I've seen it on commercials. Basically, the ride is this big circle with seats all around the edge. It swings back and forth, gradually gaining height until it's vertical at the peak of each swing, and the entire time the circle is spinning."
Yusuke rubbed his hands together. "We are so going on that."
"The only problem is that it's halfway across the park," I said, showing him on the map.
Kurama spoke up. "We can head toward the Frisbee and go on any rides that look interesting between here and there."
"Works for me," Kuwabara said as the line started moving.
Grabbing Hiei's wrist, I pulled him after me up the ramp to the loading platform. I made a beeline for front seat, just barely beating Yusuke to it. He swore and slid into the second row. Keiko slipped in behind him while Hiei and I took our seats.
The attendant spoke into a microphone, giving instructions, but I tuned him out. "Fasten your seatbelt," I told Hiei, clipping my own into place. The lap bar swung down just as Hiei finished with his seat belt and he eyed it darkly. "It's for your protection, Hiei. Don't give it the evil eye."
"You better not scream, Iraheta," Yusuke snapped from behind me.
"So says the one that screamed like a little girl when we went to a carnival last year," I retorted, twisting around in my seat to glare at him.
An attendant came around and tugged on the lap bar, checking to make sure it was secure. "Enjoy your ride," the other attendant said into his microphone and the rollercoaster started down the rail.
Hiei gripped the lap bar tightly, his knuckles turning white. He hissed when the rollercoaster started to clack its way up the first incline, causing me to burst out laughing.
The ride was relatively quick, but it had great drops and we went upside-down twice. When the rollercoaster pulled back into the station, I was still laughing at Hiei's nervous behavior. The entire ride he kept hold of the lap bar, swearing under his breath. We climbed out of the train and exited the loading platform.
Keiko walked at my side, rubbing her ears. "Upside-down rides always hurt my head," she said. I nodded my agreement. Going upside-down caused my head to rattle against the headrest.
We stopped multiple times on the way to the Frisbee, going on whatever rides looked good. Yusuke and Kuwabara proclaimed that they wanted to go on the Bumper Cars, but we decided to wait to do so until later because the lines would never get particularly long for that ride.
There wasn't a very large line for the Frisbee when we finally got there, which I decided to take as a good sign. We had already spent two hours in the park, but the crowd wasn't much larger than when we had arrived.
Yusuke grinned, leaning back against the rail and glancing up at the ride. "Nice choice, Shy. This looks like it'll be fun."
"Or nauseating," Botan murmured.
"You don't like spinning rides?" Kurama asked her.
"Not really."
"If you'd like, I'll sit this one out with you," he offered.
"No, that's alright. I don't want you to miss out," Botan said, shaking her head. "I'll be alright."
"Actually, I don't really want to go on this ride," Yukina stated, smiling at Botan. "We can sit out together." Botan wavered and then accepted the ice apparition's offer. The two ducked under the rail and took seats on a bench near the ride.
Hiei watched them and I entwined my fingers with his. "Unless you think you're going to puke, you aren't getting out of this," I said, laughing as his expression became annoyed.
The line advanced and we made our way up the stairs to the circle, taking seats and pulling the protective bar over our shoulders. The ride was exhilarating and I spent the entire time laughing. Yusuke was sitting beside me and we talked, making fun of the rest of the people on the ride who looked like they were going to be sick.
After the Frisbee, we went on a few more rides and then made our way to one of the dozen food courts littered throughout the park. We ordered our food and took seats at a table.
I dipped a french-fry in ketchup and glanced at the map that I'd laid out on the table. "What now?"
"We should go on the water rides while it's hot," Keiko said, taking a bite of the sandwich she had ordered.
Yusuke made a muffled sound of agreement through his mouthful of cheeseburger. Swallowing, he added, "We walked past a ride a few minutes ago that looked awesome."
"The Tidal Wave?" I asked.
"Yeah, that."
"Is that the one that sends up the huge wave of water?" Kuwabara asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"Duh," Yusuke said, rolling his eyes. "Hence the name."
"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot, Urameshi," Kuwabara growled, glaring at the hanyou.
"I'm just trying to talk at a level you will understand."
"I drove you here," Kuwabara said threateningly, taking a drink of his soda. "But I don't have to drive you home."
"You would leave me, your best friend, stranded in an amusement park?"
"If you keep this crap up, yeah." The two fell into a silent staring contest, each trying not to be the first to blink. Keiko sighed and shook her head, no doubt trying to figure out how she ended up with someone like Yusuke.
"He's a keeper," I whispered in her ear.
"You're telling me."
Once we'd finished eating, we headed for the Tidal Wave. The line moved quickly and soon we were at the front. I shed my shirt and shorts, placing them in the area designated for personal belongings, and slid into one of the seats of the boat that would carry us. Hiei slid in beside me and we were joined by Kuwabara and Yusuke.
The lap bar came down and the ride started off. The ride was shaped like a horseshoe, with one straight edge being the climb and the other the drop. It was a simple ride, but it was fun. The drop was large and steep and when the boat descended it created a huge wave that crashed over the passengers and any unlucky bystanders standing in the splash zone.
Laughing, I climbed out of the boat as it came to halt and stood dripping on the platform. Hiei retrieved my clothes and his shirt and we waited for the others before making our way down the exit path.
The next ride we went on was the Log Flume, where we rode in fake, hollowed out logs. It was like a miniature rollercoaster with the addition of water and a picture was taken when we went down the largest drop. Yusuke and I spent the entire ride, trying to see if we could flip over our log.
Sadly, we were unsuccessful.
The time seemed to fly by and soon the sun was seating. Lights flickered on all over the park and Yusuke deemed it time to go to the Haunted Mine. He grinned as we joined the line, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
"Last time we went on a ride like this, you screamed the entire time," he teased, giving my shoulders a squeeze. "Will there be a similar show this time?"
"Shut up," I snapped, shoving his arm away. "And I didn't scream. I shrieked."
"Oh, of course. How could I have made such a disastrous mistake?"
We reached the front of the line and Yusuke gestured for me to take the front seat of the mine car. Dragging Hiei with me, I defiantly sat down in the front row. Each mine car could carry four people, two in the front and two in the back, so Yusuke and Keiko took the second row in our car. The rest of our group would be in the next mine car.
As the ride started, I grabbed Hiei's hand, squeezing it tightly. I didn't know why haunted rides scared me so much, but they did. Pressing myself against Hiei, I tried not to make any noise, knowing that Yusuke would mock me for it.
The ride took what felt like ages and when it finally ended, I practically shoved Hiei out of the mine car. We waited for the others outside of the ride. Ignoring Yusuke's teasing, I pulled the map out of my pocket.
"We've gone on pretty much everything. Are there any rides that we want to go on again?"
"The Frisbee was pretty fun," Keiko said.
Yusuke nodded his agreement as the others emerged from the Haunted Mine. "Are you guys up for another round on the Frisbee?" he asked.
"Sure," Kuwabara said, grinning.
Kurama shook his head. "I think I'll go with Botan and Yukina on a different ride, since they don't enjoy spinning rides. Would you two like to go on the Ferris Wheel?"
Botan clapped her hands together and said, "Yes, that sounds fun."
"Alright," Yukina added. "I would enjoy that."
"Okay, so this will be the last ride and then we'll leave?" Yusuke asked. When no one made any move to disagree, he continued, "We'll meet up at the bathroom and head out from there." Kurama nodded and left with the two girls, heading for the Ferris Wheel.
We met up with the others twenty minutes later. After making sure everyone who needed to had gone to the bathroom, we left the park and started for our cars.
Hiei and I walked at the back of the group. "Did you have fun?" I asked, sliding my hand into his.
"Hn, it was not as bad as I thought it would be."
"Okay, but did you have fun?"
He sighed audibly and shot me a look. "Yes, Shyle, I had fun."
"Good," I murmured, resting my head against his shoulder and yawning.
"I call shotgun," Yusuke yelled when we reached Kuwabara's SUV. Too tired to care, I didn't protest.
I slipped into the backseat after Hiei, moving into the middle seat so that I could continue to lean on him. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and whispered, "Go to sleep, Shyle. I will wake you when we get home."
AN: What did you think of the chapter? I could have gone on for awhile longer about their day, but I figured it would get boring. I modeled this park after one near my house, though I changed the names of some of the rides. For instance, the Tidal Wave is called the Boston Tea Party in the park near me.
I kind of had a drop off in reviews, but that's okay because last chapter kind of sucked. Was this chapter better? Tell me what you think.