Hello! So... I have a million ideas swimming around in my head and obviously can't do them all at the same time! So.. My new laptop has arrived and I will be typing out the FIRST CHAPTER to all of these ideas, as well as brief summaries, and then placing a poll on my page and letting YOU GUYS choose. I'll probably end up picking 2 even though I'm going to say the ONE that gets the most votes I'll continue :P keep an eye out! And yes "A Light in the Dark" will be revised and be one on the list! The rest will go into storage for another time!
Chapter 18: Debriefing
"Oh for the love of all things holy," Kirazuki groaned in irritation, massaging her temples with her ears folded back flushly against her head, "How long is this going to take?"
Kurama chuckled at her side, fairly amused at the scene before them, "It could be several hours, knowing Kuwabara," He cast a discreet glance towards Hiei, who was clearly just as irritated as Kira, for entirely different reasons. Kuwabara was kneeling in front of Yukina a few yards away, shouting out promises and professions of love as the rest of them waited impatiently.
Yusuke finally yelled at his orange-haired friend, "We have a mission to-"
"Leave him be! He's a man in love!" Taryuu boomed with a grin, his tail swishing from side to side.
"Yes, Yusuke, have some compassion!" Botan laughed heartily in agreement.
Taryuu couldn't resist, following up in the grim reapers response, "Yeah, listen to the pretty lady, Urameshi," Botan's cheeks flushed at the statement.
"Stop being a flirt," Kira retorted to Ryuu with a swift glare and a sharp kick to the back of the knee.
"Says the one who was kissing Kurama," Yusuke teased back with a mischievous grin before a loud argument ensued.
"It was a misunderstanding!"
"Spirit detective has a point!"
"We have a time schedule!"
"Leave Kuwabara alone!"
"It's not my fault she's pretty!"
"Will you stop it!"
Hiei sighed, his eye twitching with annoyance, "How long do we have to put up with this foolishness?" He spoke to the fox at his side.
Kurama raised both of his eyebrows with a sweatdrop, attempting to stifle his laughter, "Well, at least there will be no dull moments," He attempted to offer in consolation, although it fell on deaf ears.
"Will you guys be quiet?!" Kuwabara shouted desperately from where he knelt, clutching Yukina's (who looked increasingly uncomfortable) hands in his own, "I'm trying to say goodbye to my girlfriend!"
"Well wrap it up!" Yusuke turned on him quickly, "We have a world to save!"
Koenma cleared his throat in an attempt to gain the attention of the rowdy group standing in his office. Kuwabara was still arguing with Yusuke, while Taryuu, Kira and Botan were fighting amongst themselves; Hiei, Kurama and Kanami were the only ones sitting quietly waiting to hear from the Reikai ruler. His annoyance spiked when the others refused to listen, slamming his hands down upon his desk in tantrum-like fashion, "WILL YOU STOP?! WE HAVE IMPORTANT MATTERS TO TEND TO!"
"Alright, alright," Yusuke sighed heavily, crossing his arms over his chest, "So, what are we doing then?" The tone of his voice almost insinuated Koenma was the one holding things up.
Koenma took a deep, steadying breath, muttering something incoherent to himself; he really hated his job some days, "Thank you," He pressed a button on the remote on his desk, and the large screen in his office flickered to life, "Currently, we don't have an exact position on The subjects-"
"How do you lose 2 super demons?" Kira shot back quickly with annoyance; it had been almost 2 months and they didn't even have an approximate location?
Koenma glared at her for a moment, "The Makai is a very large place,"
"And they are very large energy sources," Kurama joined, understanding where Kira was coming from.
Koenma cleared his throat again, "Yes, well, we believe they're somehow masking their energy sources-"
"A psychic," Kanami interrupted.
"Will you all let me finish!" He yelled out in frustration, causing Kanami to squeak and sink back into her chair, "But yes, we believe they've recruited a psychic, a very powerful one, apparently." He pressed one of the little arrows on his remote and two unfamiliar faces popped up on the screen, "Although we've had no luck in locating the actual subjects, we have found two informants who have had prior contact with Tobikuma and Tatsumi,"
"And you think we can trust them, because..?" Hiei spoke up from next to Kurama, his foot tapping impatiently on the pastel tile floor.
"That's for you all to figure out. They were very... Specific," Koenma pressed the arrow on his remote again, and the screen slid to a very large, well lit red building. Kira would've guessed it was in the Ningenkai instead of the Makai, "They both agreed to meet and share what they do know, but you must meet them here-"
"That's where my present comes in," Botan whispered excitedly in Kira's ear.
"Kajino Roiyaruzu," Kurama spoke, "It's a very... Upscale hotel-casino for the wealthier within the Makai to waste their earnings," He explained for those in the room unlikely to know of the location, "Wealthy humans who travel to the Makai for their.. Fun, generally reside there as well,"
"Guys like that bastard who held My love hostage," Kuwabara said through gritted teeth, while Kurama nodded in response.
"It's very high security, which I believe is why they specified here," Koenma added to the conversation, "You will all stay there 2 nights, they've agreed to meet you on separate nights in one of the hotels conference rooms. This is not a place you are permitted to fight, absolutely no violence within its walls," He warned sternly.
"And then what?" Kira questioned, narrowing her mismatched eyes. As Koenma had said, the Makai is a large place, what if these two informants were entirely useless?
"Then, hopefully, you'll have enough clues to locate them," Koenma confessed nervously, knowing this wasn't an adequate response.
"I'm no rocket scientist," Taryuu spoke up in a low rumble, "But Tobi and Sumi aren't stupid; two rogue followers aren't going to lead us straight to them,"
Koenma sighed with disheartenment yet again, "I know it's not much, but.. We have to get these two as soon as possible. They might not know a terrible amount, but right now.. They're the best chance we have.,"
"What IS this?!" Kirazuki gawked, stretching the stringy piece of fabric across both of her hands until to it flung across the room, hitting Botan square in the face.
Botan sweat dropped as it fell to the floor at her feet, "It's a bra!" She screamed in shock, snatching it from the ground indignantly, "Honestly, they never gave these to you?!"
Both Kanami and Kira shook their heads in unison. The 3 were currently in the ferry girls quarters; which was a quaint little room with a single full-view mirror, a small desk and chair and an adjoined bathroom. Botan had promised to get the pair ready for Kajino Roiyaruzu, but she was beginning to lose hope. "It holds your breasts in place!" She explained in exasperation.
Kanami looked quite thrilled, while Kira's nose wrinkled at the thought. She picked up more strange fabric which was definitely not a bra, "And what are these?"
Botan sighed, "Honestly, did they give you any of the feminine basics?!" She snatched it from Kira's hands quickly, holding it up, "These are underwear! What do you all even do for your time of the month?!"
Kira laughed at the grim reapers questioning, but this one was something she recognized from her years of mindless book reading, "None of us have them, we're all snipped after we mature," She held her hands up in front of her face with her nails pointed down, wiggling her fingers, "Can't have any big bad super demon babies running around,"
Botan looked quite saddened by this, the way it rolled so easily off of Kira's tongue like it was something normal to have that right taken away, "And you're okay with that?"
Kira waved her hand in the air mindlessly, going through some more things within the desk drawers of the quarters, "We aren't made to make life, we were made to take it,"
"That's quite a grim outlook," Kanami said sadly, "What about when our servitude to the Reikai ends?"
"Then I'll look for someone in the Makai to fight for," Kira replied airily. Kanami, at the very least, should have seen her point; they had spent 100 years training for one single purpose, they had been MADE for that purpose. Why could no one ever see that? They seemed so quick to assume the Reikai was doing wrong.
Botan tipped her head to the side, "But you don't wish to.. Settle down one day? Live peacefully?"
Kira raised an eyebrow, "Surely not until I'm decrepit, in which case I'll simply live out my final days on a cliff side with a glorious view," Her mind momentarily wandered back to her birthday night at the cliff with the wondrous view; that was the kind of view she could go for before her death, "Are we going to get ready or have a heart to heart all day?"
Botan shook her head swiftly, as if shaking herself out of her own thoughts, "Right, you two need to get ready,"
"Will you stop moving!" Botan shouted at Kira, trying to pin the rest of her curled hair in place, "You may as well wear a suit like the boys!"
Kira's eye twitched with irritation as Botan yanked a chunk of her hair, "I'm trying, you're pulling it!"
Kanami laughed gently from where she was seated next to Kira, watching poor Botans endeavor; she hadn't been nearly as difficult as the wolf. Her light hair was swept in a curled up-do and the grim reaper had gotten her a silky sky blue dress the same style as Kira's (only much longer, by request) with a pair of white flats (which Kira was not pleased with, as she was forced to wear the heels she was gifted). Kira didn't necessarily like the psychic, she had to admit she did look beautiful.
"Maybe if you brushed it more than once a year I wouldn't have to pull it so much!" Although Botan had been hopeful at first that Kira's hair would be as easy to manage as Kanami's had been, considering it had such a shine to it, that was unfortunately not the case: it was not only surprisingly coarse but also tangled incredibly easily, and it was certainly difficult to get curls to set in it.
Kira simply grinned, "I'm a filthy animal, what more do you want?" She joked.
"Done!" Botan exclaimed, fairly relieved the ordeal was over with, standing Kira up and bringing her to the full-view mirror; she almost didn't recognize herself. Her normally straight, untamed black, grey and white hair has been curled and pinned around so the majority of it was in front of her left shoulder, with a few stray curls framing her face, her dress fight surprisingly well, especially in comparison to her normal attire. It was... Strange. She would even wager she'd think herself pretty if she was a simple stranger on the street.
"Oh! Koenma needs you to wear this as well!" Botan said quickly, pulling out another collar-like black device, although this one looked more like a tight, thin choker necklace than a collar, "This one will keep them from tracking you, Taryuu has one as well. Kanami should be able to mask herself," She explained, clasping the tight strip around Kira's neck, careful to avoid not only Yukina's necklace but the ice demoness' hair.
"Ryuu's wearing a necklace?" Kira smirked with a little ear twitch.
Botan glared at her momentarily, "It's built into his tie!"
"Ryuu's wearing a tie?!"
"Holy shit!" Yusuke exclaimed with a large grin plastering it's way across his face; he quickly stood from where he was sitting and making his way forward towards the group of women, "You-" He paused, poking a pointed finger between Kira's collar bones, "- Actually look like a girl,"
Kira raised a single eyebrow, removing his finger and lifting her hands to straighten his black tie, "And you actually don't look like a little street punk," She replied smoothly, peeking around him to see the rest of the group, noting that Taryuu didn't have a suit jacket like the rest of them, "Where's the rest of your costume?"
Taryuu raised both of his arms in the air, obnoxiously flexing his toned muscle, "I was too manly for the jacket, none of them fit,"
Kira rolled her eyes, knowing he was showing off for Botan yet again, "Are we ready to go now?"
"Don't be so impatient, Kira," Koenma warned as he approached the group, "This is an incredibly dangerous mission, there's a high chance some of you won't come back. They've had time to do training of their own as well,"
"And recruit as well," Botan added to the Reikai rulers statement with a pointed finger.
"We can handle it," Yusuke cut in suddenly, "Lets get moving,"
"There's a portal waiting for you outside," Koenma nodded grimly. This was it; the maiden voyage for his creations was about to set sail, and he would find out if the last 100 years was truly worth it, "Good luck,"
Botan held out two bags to Kanami and Kira, "I packed an extra dress for each of you for tomorrow and your.. Regular attire for afterwards. Kira, try not to ruin your dresses,"
Kanami swiftly grabbed her bag and headed out with the rest of the group, while Kira hesitated after taking her bag, her stomach twisting up in a nervous knot, "Thank you, for everything,"
Botan smiled, for once, almost serenely, nodding calmly at Kira, "You'll do great," She whispered as she hugged the tiny demoness, "Now hurry along before you get left behind," She laughed, her normal demeanor restored.
Kira nodded in return, grinning up at Botan, "See you later!" She turned on her heels and jogged off towards the rest of the group, her nerves slowly disappearing. She slowed down when she reached Hiei, who was trailing a few feet behind the rest.
"You look as if you've been domesticated, Mutt," Hiei said just loud enough to be heard with a smirk as he continued to look straight ahead.
"For now," Kira retorted with a small grin, "And as if you're one to throw stones," She did have to admit, the fire demon did look good in a suit; perhaps domestication suited them all well. Hiei didn't respond, she did have a point. Those in glass houses..
"Everyone ready?" Yusuke turned to the remainder of the group, a rare moment of seriousness coming over him. It was almost unsettling.
"I was born ready!" Both Kuwabara and Taryuu shouted out, before turning to each other and exchanging in childish celebration.
"I think Ryuu's found his soulmates," Kira sighed heavily, shaking her head at his ridiculous antics. It was pleasant to see Taryuu so.. happy, but she knew it was something that just wouldn't last. Yusuke and Kuwabara had their own lives in the Ningenkai, while he had his in the Reikai.
"It would appear that way," Kurama chuckled, shaking his head.
"Let's do this!"
I wanted to do a little light-hearted chapter before, pardon my french, shit hits the fan :P Be ready!
-B.J.