On the Boundaries of Reality
part 3
by M.E.
On the Boundaries of Reality: Part Three
The Ties That Bind and Gag
*
By: M.E. (Magnificent Entity)
([email protected])
***
Chapter One: A Happy Reunion
Tori stuck her head through the portal, unsure as to whether it lead to their destination. "Ummmm, Kuwabara, are you sure there isn't another way for us to go back? I don't exactly feel safe about doing this." She looked at him nervously, and chewed on her lower lip, "I mean, how can we be sure we're going to the right place?"
"Trust me, Koenma told me before I left how to set a portal for a certain dimension, and, if the number in my folder is correct, then we should be going to my dimension of origin." Kuwabara smiled down at his vertically challenged companion, "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be okay."
Still a bit nervous, Tori opened a portal, the coordinates of their destination firmly affixed in her mind. Sighing, she waved her hands to indicate that Kuwabara should go first. Watching as he disappeared through the softly glowing circle, she looked back at the world behind her, where she had been born, grown up, died, been born again (and again, and again...), made friends, and fallen in love. It was because of love that she was now leaving, but for some reason, she wasn't happy to go. She knew that she had a second chance in Kuwabara's dimension, and that if she went there not only would Kuwabara be trying to turn the heart of an icy little fire demon, but Yusuke, Kurama, Keiko, and just about anyone they could draft into the job as well.
And so now she was leaving, again. But this time she might never come back, and though she would not be in actuality leaving her friends, as they would also be where she was going, she would be abandoning much of her history, and there was little chance of her regaining it.
Looking sadly at the people in front of her, aware that only one of them knew that she would probably not be returning, her eyes landed on the person who was causing all of these problems in her life; who, with his cold exterior and heated interior, had conveniently stolen her heart- only to throw it away for another. A smile spread across her face, though if one looked closely they could tell that it was false, as it was not echoed in her eyes. Stepping backwards, she fell through space and time, traveling to a world so distant that its name was only a string of numbers to her.
***
They found themselves watching a portal opening only a few centimeters above the ground. If it hadn't been for Kuwabara stumbling through first, it would have almost been an instant replay of the day when they first met the girl who followed the tall ningen.
"Oof," Tori felt the air go out of her as she stumbled, falling backwards right into Kuwabara. "Ne, Kuwabara, have a nice trip?" She smiled, then quickly closed the portal. Looking around, she spied Kuwabara, sprawled back on the ground. "Kuwabara?" She nudged his head with her the toe of her shoe, "Wakey wakey," she added in a sing-song voice.
"Next time, I'm traveling by plane. Or boat, I hear that a scenic cruise can do wonders for one's health," Kuwabara sat up, rubbing his head. "Didja have to kick me?"
"It was a tap, not a kick," Tori pouted, pretending to be hurt by his accusation. "And you can't travel between dimensions by boat or plane, portal is the only way to go."
"Well, glad to see someone's in a good mood," he grumbled, now attempting to stand- only to fall onto the ground again when his feet were conveniently kicked out from under him.
"Wai! Thanks, Urameshi! I was just about to do that," Tori smiled at Yusuke.
"Well, obviously I couldn't just go and let you do it yerself, Kuwabara probably would have squished you when he fell over." Teeth flashing, he quickly skipped out of the way of her fist.
Standing among the bushes in Genkai's garden, Botan and Keiko sighed, shaking their heads as they watched the fight that resulted, neither one of the three participants willing to let either of the others win. "Do you think they might ever grow up," Keiko asked her companion hopefully.
"Those three? Impossible. I think they just get worse and worse over the years." Botan winced as she watched Tori latch her teeth onto Yusuke's ankle, "You'd think that they'd at least fight fair."
Tori looked up from where Yusuke had her pegged to ground, and blinked. "Fair? Why Botan, whatever do you mean? If you want to talk about fair, what about these two? They're both bigger than me!" She flipped over so that she lay on her back, then pushed her legs upward. By using the leverage she created when she pushed against the dirt with her arms, she was able to fling Yusuke off of her- only to have Kuwabara jump her from behind.
"Well, there is one good thing about about this incessant bickering and fighting," Genkai said, obviously amused by the whole display, "it keeps them fit and helps with their training."
Botan and Keiko groaned, sinking to the ground as large sweatdrops formed.
Hiei watched with little amusement as the three of them tumble all over the yard, mashing the grass underneath them and just barely avoided rolling into the rose bushes several times. So she was back. This presented a problem that he thought he wouldn't have to deal with after her strange departure months before. Most likely she would want to talk to him.
But first, he needed some time to think.
A black shadow flitted through the trees, only seen by Genkai. A look of interest caressed her age worn face as she turned her attention back to the fight.
***
Chapter Two: Love and Other Strange Subjects
Pushing her bangs up and wiping the stinging sweat from her eyes, Tori surveyed the room. Here were the people that had changed her life forever. She remembered distinctly the feelings she had first had about being a tantei for the Reikai. Hate and anger had been prominent, and buried deeply beneath them, sadness. Sadness for herself, that she should hate herself so much that she couldn't believe that someone wanted her to do something.
Originally the task of helping Urameshi Yusuke had been a punishment, though Koenma most likely thought it to be a fair and just compromise. Over time she had learned to respect the people she worked with, and now even counted them among the few friends she had ever made. She was able to use the trickery that she had mastered to fool them all into believing that she enjoyed going on the endless missions, and that she was beginning to pull her life off of the sinking ship that it had been riding for so long.
Fools. All of them. They didn't realize the she was trying to put more meaning into her existence so that she would be able to forget the tantalizing ache that was growing in her chest. Hiei was so unlike anything she had ever found before in all of her lives. While his sister burned with innocence, he was frozen inside. How ironic that each should be the other, one icy yet bright; the other hot and at the same time cold.
The careful walls she had spent so much time building up were crumbling to dust right before her eyes. They revealed memories long forgotten, and feelings thought to have been lost. Tori was rediscovering her inner child, only to find it famished, starved for affection. Kuwabara was helping her, and slowly, but surely, she was making a recovery. He helped teach her to accept, and possibly embrace, the changes that were coming, were happening.
But, far back in the turmoil and confusion that was her mind, one wall stood strong. It blocked out something that, even though she had once sworn never to forget it, her body had slowly hidden, in an act of self-preservation. If she wasn't careful, it too would fall.
Over time, one can forget many things. The hardest thing to ever forget is pain, and though one may forget the original cause of it, the pain will forever be there- if it is strong enough- prodding and prying, trying its hardest to survive. Once someone said that time heals all wounds. While this may be true, it is also true that for a wound to be healed, it must first be acknowledged, or at least found. If it is not, the forgotten wound will fester and grow.
***
Botan was in a good mood, and was apparently determined to let everyone know it. The onis glanced up from their computers (some cursing Reikai management as they so often did, for being cheap and buying PeeCees, which were forever crashing and loosing the work that they had just spent all day on), adding machines, and other technological wonders that littered the corridors and offices of the Rekai. It was a pleasant sight to see the ferry girl so perky, even though she always seemed to be that way.
"Good morning, George," she sang brightly as she swept past the forever over-worked oni and into Koenma's office. Smiling at the stacks of paperwork in the general vicinity where Koenma's desk was, "Hello Koenma. It's nice to see you." (Or rather not see him, as case happened to be).
A large stack of paper (order sheets for more pens, paper, and handy-dandy manila folders) growled menacingly at her. "How come you're so happy?"
"Kuwabara's back," she announced, pushing some of the papers to the side so that she could see him.
"So?"
"Tori is with him," she added triumphantly.
"Oh."
"Aren't you happy that she's back," a very puzzled Botan asked. "I thought you liked her."
It seemed that Botan had said The Wrong Thing. A deadly look in his eye, suddenly all of his attention was directed straight at her. "Why Botan," he said through clenched teeth, "of course I like her. I enjoy people who show up out of nowhere. People, who then must be helped so that they can go on their merry way. The only way to help them, of course, being to send my best and most experienced ferry girl to the Rekai Archives for nearly two full days so that she can find a damned scroll. Then these people, who were so grateful to be helped and sent back to where they came from, insist on coming back right away! Not to mention all of the paperwork that stacked up because of this. Yes, I really do enjoy having her around, Botan."
Botan just stood there, her pink eyes big and round. For several minutes she was frozen in place, unable to move. When she was finally able to move again, she walked slowly across the room, not saying anything, still in shock. Upon reaching the door, she turned around, almost as if she was anxious to see the expression on his face. He was completely ignoring her, and had gone back to scanning the documents on his desk, and grumbling about overly-perky people in general. "Gomen, Koenma-sama," she whispered quietly, "gomen nasai." Quickly turning the doorknob, she let herself out.
George had never seen Botan so white before. All color had drained out of her face and even her ponytail seemed limp with fright. Mentally, he berated himself for not stopping her long enough to tell her that Koenma was in A Very Bad Mood. Pulling over an extra chair, he carefully maneuvered Botan into it. "Ne, Botan, are you okay? Don't get too upset over it, it's not you, he's just really overworked right now." Aghast, he watched as tears rolled down her face, dropping onto her bright kimono to form dark pink splotches.
"George..." a reedy whisper reached his ears.
"It's going to be okay," he reassured her, though he was not sure if there was any truth in his statement. "Just wait until the holidays are passed. They just build up extra stress for him, all the drunk drivers, muggings, airplane crashes... Not to mention that it seems to be the prime season for suicides. The paperwork just seems to have no end." He shook his head sadly, "Some people just can't deal with the holiday pressure, I guess." "George..." she said again, turning to look at the oni, a look of amazement on her face. "He...he said that I'm his best ferry girl... Do you think he really meant it?" Her face lit up with excitement and anticipation, "Then he really does notice me! Oh George, maybe I have a chance!" With this she got up, hopped on her oar, zoomed down the hall, around passing oni, and out the window, the whole time singing happily to herself.
For George, this was all to much. He slumped down in his chair, head buried in his arms. There were three things in life that he would never understand: love, teenagers, and women. Having just been confronted with all three, the circuits of his poor, abused oni brain had been overloaded. He needed a drink.
***
She's back. Kami-sama, what am I going to do? Most likely she'll jump on me and want too kiss me again...bleah... <Admit it,> a tiny voice whispered in my head, <you liked it when she kissed you.>
I direct an angry snort at the voice, willing it to shut up.
<You want her to do it again... You're happy she's back... You can't wait to see her again...>
If this keeps up, I may have to admit that one's worst enemy is oneself. "It's not like that," I plead the voice to shut up, trying to reason with it. The wheedling voice continues-
<Give in. You can't resist, it's the result of your hormones, and perfectly normal. Why ignore it? It's quite normal to wish to propagate and ensure the survival of your species.> Oh great. Now the annoying voice has become educated.
"Hormones, that's a new excuse. I believe that last time it was a need to feel wanted. Can't you think of anything better?" Though it seems quite impossible, my conscience has began to become real. Next it'll possess me and do unspeakable deeds with my body. I wonder if I can kill the damned thing...?
<Impossible. I know all your thoughts, sense the very essence of your being, you will never be able to destroy me! Wha~hahahahahah!>
"Could you at least stop it with the maniacal laughter? It sounds really out of place."
<You're no fun... But at least you get good ideas- Possession? Interesting concept, I must read up on it...>
"Don't even think about it," I growl back at it. Strangely enough, there's no answer- I could take this to mean submission, or maybe even defeat- but I won't, I know myself to well.
A tiny whisper runs across the top of my mind, <No matter how you try,> it warns, <you can't escape her. You'll have to face her eventually...>
"And when I do, nothing will come from it, if you keep your big mouth shut."
***
Chapter Three: If Wishes Were Horses...
Kuwabara easily avoided the onslaught of kicks, sweeps, and punches that Tori flung at him. During the time he had spent in her dimension he had grown accustomed to her style of fighting, which was a lot like his, just... shorter. Of course if he would ever let Tori know that, he would end up orbiting the moon, possibly Saturn, if she was in an especially bad mood.
Tori, for her own part, was having a hard time keeping her mind on the fight that she was involved in. Whenever she moved in to attack her opponent there was always a flicker of black near the edge of her sight that distracted her. If it hadn't been for that flicker, she would have long ago lost her mind to the situation at hand. But-
With a loud thump she found herself sitting on the ground, the hard earth beneath her slamming painfully against her thighs. Oooohg... And the really bad thing was that she was the one who taught Kuwabara the trick that he had just used to bring her down. That really stung her ego, but she wasn't about to admit it.
"Ne, Kuwa-chan, did you have to do it so fast? It really hurts when there's nothing but a piece of cloth between one's tender behind and the (really, REALLY) hard ground." A pout formed on her lips, and she rubbed her sore spots as she attempted to stand. And promptly fell down. "Oh, my aching backside, I think I bruised a bone..." Wincing with pain, she tried to stand up again- only to fall.
"Sorry Tori, I didn't think it would hurt you that much." Worry spread over his gorilla-like face, and Kuwabara leaned over, offering her his hand. She mumbled something under her breath. "Huh? What did'ja say?"
"I said," she whispered painfully, "SUCKER!" Pushing him backwards, she leaped onto his stomach, pulled out her rei-ken, placing the point of it a millimeter away from his throat. Even though Kuwabara was pretty sure she wouldn't try to kill him, he was still a great believer in the wonderful concept of self-preservation, and so kept completely still. "I win," Tori smiled down at the defeated male.
"I though we agreed that we weren't going to use weapons," Kuwabara said nervously, sweating under the gleaming light of the
rei-ken.
"We did, but you seem to have forgotten an important fact that Botan pointed out just yesterday: I don't fight fair."
The rei-ken faded out of reality, and Tori stepped back as Kuwabara rose to his feet. She was not about to let him use the same trick on her that she had just used on him.
***
<I wish that this wasn't all happening to me... I wish that I could do something about it... I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner- well, not really.> Sometimes it seems like a person's life is falling apart, and- like with all such phenomenons- they have no control over it, and must be content to just watch it deteriorate. For if they try to stop it, it starts to unravel even faster.
Tori had felt that her life was going to pieces. But she hadn't been worried, because she recognized what was going on, and knew that there was nothing she could do. She was becoming depressed again. It was something she had gotten used to over the years, and had almost been disappointed when it left. Now that it was returning, she felt much more comfortable with her surroundings, her friends, and life in general.
Then Kuwabara had to show up and remind her that she didn't have to feel such self-loathing all the time. She was lifted up, and when she came to the surface, she had to acknowledge what was happening- something she would have preferred to not have done. But knowing that Kuwabara was right, and that she shouldn't go and through away her life, she decided to take him up on his offer to take her back to his dimension.
The only purpose of the journey being so that she could talk to Hiei- who now refused to talk to her. <Damn!> she thought bitterly, <I probably scared him off when I went and kissed him.> Now, if only she could rewind time.
***
Stretching out in his chair, Koenma rested his head on the hand he had propped up on his desk. He displayed a look of intense concentration, totally at odds with his chubby little face. Golden eyes studied the folder that lay open before him, and inside he struggled to make a decision. While he wanted to do this, he was still unsure about breaching the border separating business from his personal life.
Of course if he wanted to get anywhere, he'd first have to finish all the paperwork.
Groaning, he took out a stamp and ink pad and started slamming rubber on paper. One would think that a pointless exercise like this could be completed more easily and with more efficency by a computer. In fact, this is true, but Enma Daioh believed in doing things the old fashioned way- well, not really, he believed in having his son do things the old fashioned way, as this built "character" and "responsibility". He himself had no such duties, as Koenma did them all for him. After all, what are offspring for, if not boring, manual labor? (child labor strikes again!!)
While he stamped, Koenma day dreamed of impossible things- vacations, sleep, paperwork that wasn't "URGENT!", coffee breaks... Closing the folder he had been looking at, he opened his desk drawer and placed the file in its proper place. It could wait- though he wasn't sure he could.
He blinked as he noticed what the paper he was about to stamp actually said. Sighing, Koenma pressed down a button on the intercom box that teetered nervously on the corner of his desk. "George, we have a problem." It just wasn't his lucky day, was it?
***
Chapter Four: Living Dangerously
Something was poking her. At first she hadn't been too sure, but now it was unquestionable. Something was definitely poking her. One sleep-deprived eye opened slowly, rolling around in its socket to examine, the object of annoyance- while at the same time to decide whether this object could be used as a punching bag. Preferably one on which she could take out her anger at being awakened early in the morning during vacation. The eye locked in on blue hair.
Damn, it was Botan. That meant two things: First, she couldn't beat her up (Botan had an oar and knew how to use it). Second, Koenma wanted her to do something.
"Botan, it's six in the morning, do you know where your chibi is?"
Blinking, the ferry girl looked confused, "Chibi? Tori, what are you talking about?"
Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she yawned, "Nothin' Botan, just a joke. What does Koenma want?"
Blushing furiously, Botan let her hair fall down and hide her face, "Ummm, actually Koenma didn't send me. I wanted to talk to you about something, hoping you could give me some advice..." She trailed off.
"As I pointed out only a few minutes ago- it's 6 a.m., my brain isn't functioning. That is to say, I'm presently unable to give advice." Deciding that she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, Tori got out of bed and started pulling on some clothes. She stuck her tongue out at the ice blue kimono as she shrugged into it, but she didn't have much of a choice. Once again she had forgotten to bring her own clothes and had to borrow some of Yukina's. Kimonos disgusted her, they reminded her of dresses, which also disgusted her. Both articles of clothing were so- so- so feminine. (god forbid Tori be *feminine*!- notes one reader)
When Tori was finally dressed, Botan started speaking again. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking when I came over. It's just that I didn't sleep all night and I really want to talk to someone." Pink met hazel as the two young women looked at each other, "Could you help me with Koenma?"
"Sorry Botan, but I'm unable to do anything for you concerning your boss. In case you've forgotten, he's mine too. Well, not really, I mean he is but this Koenma isn't him, the other one is, and-" She stopped, holding her head in her hands, "Note to self: Don't try to think about the peculiarities of different dimensions at six in the morning. This will result in great head pains and general confusion." (of the reader)
Botan couldn't help but smile at the antics of the shorter girl. "I was hoping you could give me some...umm...girl-to-girl advice?" She could feel her cheeks flare up and knew that she was blushing yet again.
Shaking her head to ride it of the last residues of sleepiness, Tori just stared at the ferry girl. "Excuse me Botan, but am I to understand that you're asking me for advice on you love life? Considering the way that mine's going, I should think that I'm the last person you'd want to ask for advice."
Nervously back towards the window, Botan replied shakily, "Maybe I should talk to Keiko about this instead?"
"You do that." As soon as the other female was gone, Tori slumped down onto the bed, burrowing her face in her hands. It was early, she was tired, she didn't want to think about this right now...but, since Botan had brought it up, she might as well let her mind wander on the subject.
***
Actually, Tori wasn't the only one being poked in the side at six a.m. by a Reikai employee. Sitting up and yawning, Yusuke looked at the person before him, then at the digital clock next to his bed. Then he did a double take. "GEORGE?!" Koenma's right-hand oni stood there, sheepishly wearing a bright pink kimono and holding an oar. Groaning, Yusuke stood up and stretched, "I don't want to know, do I?"
"Koenma-sama couldn't find Botan, so he sent me," George mumbled, blushing from the tip of his horn to the ends of his toenails.
"That doesn't explain what you're wearing," pointed out the disgruntled tantei as he pulled on a pair of jeans over his smiley-face boxers. They had been gag gift from Keiko, who had explained that since he always seemed to find a way to look at her underwear, she might at least know what his looked like. He received five pairs of boxers from her, and the pair he was presently wearing had the least embarrassing design.
"This is the official uniform of Reikai messengers. They have some stuff that's more...appropriate... for the male messengers, but Section 19, Wardrobe, was out of my size, *again*." He glared down at the pink cloth. It really wasn't seemly for him to be wandering around in this get-up.
For some reason this whole situation seemed rather silly to Yusuke, and he broke into a fit of laughter and started rolling around on the floor, which looked very funny because he had been putting on a t-shirt at the time and only had one arm and his head through.
"It's not funny," the indignant oni growled. He was trying to maintain an air of dignity through-out the entire episode - and was not succeeding in the least.
"Yes- it- is!" George's defense had only caused Yusuke to laugh even harder, and he now looked close to hysterics.
"Why do I bother..." he sighed, picking slightly at a loose pink thread. "Koenma wants you to do something."
Yusuke stopped laughing and sat up straight. His mind did the math and it came out with this: Koenma + do something = WORK!! The body's general response when it hears this four letter word is "hide". Unfortunately for Yusuke, he was unable to do this as George was already there... Maybe he could still try to hide, and if Koenma or any of his peons found him, plead ignorance? Naw, that wouldn't work... "What?"
"I don't know, I just work for him," with that George left, determined to get this job over with as quickly as possible, so that he could get out of the kimono. Desperately trying to balance on the delicate oar he had been assigned, he wobbled out of Yusuke's room, heading for his next stop.
***
Tori sat quietly at the desk in the room that Genkai had been kind enough to let her stay in. Her chin was propped up on her fists and her entire body was focused on the book that lay open on the desktop in front of her. It was because of this distraction that she didn't hear Kuwabara enter the room. For a moment he just stood there, watching as she immersed herself even farther into the story. Though he knew otherwise, it looked as if this was the first time she had ever read it.
If one of his teammates were to see him, they would not recognize him at first glance. Here was the young man they never saw, or maybe never chose to see. Now and then the emotional person that was Kuwabara Kazuma would emerge from under the many layers of pride, but this tended to happen only around small audiences, ones that were rarely composed of any but the very closest friends.
Now he studied Tori with a look of interest that was at the same time mixed with sadness. His life had been turned upside down by her appearance in it, but most likely this change was for the better. Sighing mentally, he cleared his throat to get her attention.
"Hm?" The small, questioning sound that Tori emitted wasn't even close to being an actual word. Deciding that she hadn't really noticed his presence, Kuwabara placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly. "What?" This time there was an annoyed tone in the question, and Tori craned her neck to look at him.
"Tori-chan, could you help me with a dilemma that I seemed to have stumbled into?" Kuwabara smiled hopefully at his friend and counterpart.
"It depends on what you want me to do..."
"Koenma needs the team to do something, but I'm kind of...busy...and I was wondering if you would fill in for me," a hot blush spread over his face.
Suddenly Tori realized what he was talking about, and immediately smiled. "So Kazuma, finally got a date with Yukina and don't want anything to spoil it, eh? You sly old fox," still grinning, she winked at him.
Fending off her accusations with his hands, a look of mock surprise on his face, Kuwabara admonished her, "Now don't go and confuse me with Kurama, Tori."
They talked for several minutes more, then Kuwabara left, after making sure to extract Tori's promise to go on the mission for him.
***
Chapter Five: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire
Brown hair swishing, Keiko looked up in surprise as the tinny jingle that signaled the arrival of a customer brought her back to reality. She smiled cheerfully as she recognized the blue-haired young woman who approached her. "Hi, Botan! What's up?" The question was accompanied by a hand gesture, indicating that Botan should sit down.
The ferry-girl slid into the booth nervously, running her hand through her brilliant hair. "Ummm, Keiko-chan? I was wondering if you could give me some advice on...on..." Despite how many times she had told herself that she was ready to deal with this, Botan still couldn't get that all-important word out, and ended up blushing furiously. Her voice a whispery squeak, Botan battled with herself, and was finally able to get the word that she wanted out, "...dating?"
As she studied the young woman sitting across the table from her, a small smile spread over Keiko's face. Of late Botan had been acting strangely, and she now had something that she could attribute her friend's unusual behavior to. "So, who's caught your eye?"
Squirming slightly under the interrogation, Botan managed to answer that there was no one in particular, she just felt that it was time she knew about this stuff. "Maybe... Maybe you could tell me about dating?" The question had an air of hopefulness, which continued when she spoke again, "I mean, like what to do, what to wear, what to say..." Trailing off, Botan finally managed to look at Keiko instead of allowing her eyes to roam around the ramen shop.
"So," Keiko grinned, "You want to know about dating, huh? Let's start at the beginning..."
***
Tori stumbled as she fell through the portal, and swore softly to herself as she realized that she was still wearing the kimono she had borrowed from Yukina. <I can't move in this damned thing,> she thought depressingly. Dragging herself up from where she had landed, she smoothed out the folds in the cloth, and turned to look at Koenma. "Kazu- ah, Kuwabara, couldn't make it, so he asked me to take his place. I hope that's okay, Koenma-sama."
The demigod's head gave a stiff nod, and it was obvious that his mind was on something else. Remembering Botan's early morning visit, a sly smile curved Tori's lips. She stood uncomfortably in the kimono, and shifted slightly on her sneakered feet. A quick peek over her left should told her that the others where already there. Finally Yusuke cleared his throat, "Koenma? You had something you wanted us to do?"
Blinking his eyes, Koenma seemed to come out of a trance. "Oh. Yes. There's been a problem where we seem to have a group of youkai from a small outland fortress that's attempting to open a gateway to the Ningenkai."
Her shoulders sagging, Tori groaned. Some inner sense told her that this wasn't going to be a simple mission, and she'd rather not go... wasn't it her vacation? Hopefully Kuwabara appreciated the pains she was taking for him. In front of her, Koenma nodded at them to go, and Tori quickly produced a portal, which the others preceded to enter. Right before she stepped through the ring of softly glowing light, Tori glanced back at Koenma. Their eyes met, and a look of understanding passed between them. Smiling softly, she said quietly "You know, it might help if you brought it out into the open," then left, leaving him alone to ponder the meaning of her advice.
***
As they trudged through the undergrowth of the Makai forest, Tori struggled to keep up with Yusuke and Kurama. Every so often she would see the black flash in the trees above her head that she knew was Hiei. He seemed determined to ignore her, and since she didn't feel like it was the ah...right...time to discuss their problems, she was content to just let him be his usual unsociable self.
It was hard enough to keep up with the two young men, they had longer legs and could take bigger strides, but she was also wearing Yukina's kimono, which constricted her steps even further. Instead of walking, she hobbled behind the rest. After tripping for what seemed like the umpteenth time, she sat down on a log to grumble. Noticing that Tori's distinct
plod-plod-thud-plod-plod-plod-thud-plod had stopped, Yusuke turned to study her.
"What's the matter," he questioned, "tired already?"
"No," she grumble through clenched teeth, "it's just that I. Can't. Walk. In. This. Damned. KIMONO!" The last word came out with a great deal of frustration, somewhere between a growl and a shriek. Pausing, and idea came to her, and she thoughtfully studied Yusuke.
The look on the girl's face should have informed Yusuke of what was happening in his friend's scheming mind, but he wasn't really awake yet, and his mind wasn't working fast enough to process the look. If it was, he would have been heading for the hills already. "Urameshii~i-kun, would you do something for me?" The question that fell from her lips was sickingly sweet, and she batted her eyelashes a few times for good measure. "Would you mind carrying me?"
With a look on his face that mirrored his feelings, Yusuke crouched down patiently as Tori scrambled up his back. He then stood up, hoping that Tori didn't choke him with her arms around his neck, and, after a nod to Kurama, they set off again. For a while after this episode Tori's happy cries of "Ostrie! Ostrie! I get to ride the ostrie!" could be heard echoing in the confined spaces of the woods.
***
Swishing through the echoing (yet unexplainably crowded) halls of the Reikai, Hinageshi pushed open the door to a small, nondescript room, letting it swing shut with behind her with a heavy "whoosh". As she leaned against the door, catching her breath, she looked around what appeared to be the living quarters of a fellow Reikai employee with interest. She had never been to Saotome George's apartment before, but apparently he decided that she could be entrusted with whatever plan he was hatching now in that underestimated oni brain of his.
Stepping forward, she called out softly, "George? Are you here?" When this inquiry was met with no response, she shouted, "GEORGE!!! I'M HERE, WHERE ARE YOU?" This second try seemed to be successful, as a somewhat shaken oni emerged from the adjacent room. Upon spotting her, he allowed his worried expression to relax some.
"Did you get the information I told you to bring," he asked, eagerly drawing her to sit down on a small table. Affirming her mission with a sharp nod, the two of them spread out the sheets of paper that Hinageshi had brought on a well-worn coffee table.
"The ningen's call it a 'blind date'..." Hinageshi started with the most basic information, launching herself into the more complicated aspects of the practice. When she finished, she looked at the blue-faced oni with interest. Though she rarely wondered about the actions of her superiors, she couldn't help but wonder at George's interest in the ningen custom. "George, would you mind enlightening me on why you wanted all this info?"
As George outlined his plan, the young ferry girl couldn't help but be impressed by the schemingly devious mind that lay beneath the worry-wart oni. She decided that she was going to rather enjoy this plan, and it was for a good cause anyway...
***
Chapter Six: Cries in the Night
Author's Note: "--" indicates the beginning or end of a flashback or something similar.
The crowd of youkai advances on us, and I start to become nervous. They are so many, and we are so few... I've always been uncomfortable around large groups of people, a feeling I've ascribed to my empathic abilities- sometimes when there are too many people their feelings wash over me and I have trouble controlling myself... one of the reasons I dropped out of school...
But this is different. The anger that they are broadcasting is having a strange effect on me, and instead of becoming mad myself, I become afraid, feeling like a frightened child. Some of them carry torches, and they clothes they wear reminds me of something, but I can't think of what... An unbidden, forgotten memory comes to my mind...
--It's time. I can barely remember my life before this, it's been so long. As I approach the wall, I spare a quick glance at the guards in their black uniforms trimmed with turquoise.--
I can't help but wonder where this memory comes from, I can't remember where it comes from, but it must be from one of my previous lives. Starting to advance, I form the rei-ken in my hands...
--I don't know if I can do this, how can I even defend myself if I must? My puny ki-balls will have no effect on them if I try to use them if I get caught. If only I had mastered a real weapon, but I had none to practice with, not even a simple knife or katana.--
Images surge up in my mind again, and I have trouble concentrating on the task at hand...
--My feet pad softly on the forest floor, and I wonder where I plan to go. Behind me my wings arch up uselessly. If I could fly I would have a better chance, but they've been clipped, anyway I haven't flown in years and am out of practice.--
What's going on? Have I no control over my own mind? With every step I take, every move made by my body, memories of things that never happened hit me and are pounded into my consciousness by what almost seems to be a giant hammer. The pressure is building, and I can't-
--They've discovered my escape, I can hear the search parties tramp through the brush. The low baying of the hound-like youkai that are used to hunt runaways can also be heard. If I am forced to face them, will I be able to fight? A twig snaps under my foot and--
-make it stop, or control it. Every moment I spend fighting it is useless, because they keep-
--my head turns to look back over my shoulder to make sure that no one has heard the careless noise. I still can't see them, but I can tell from the noise that--
-on coming and coming. Stumbling to the ground, I hold my head in my hands, trying to make the pounding pressure stop. My eyes are wide with fright and I know that my mouth hangs open like that of a mindless fool. The pounding won't stop, and I wrap my-
--they are getting closer. I no longer jog over the fallen leaves, and all caution has been thrown to the winds, as the only thing that matters now is to out run my pursuers. My legs take giant strides as I try to cover as much space as possible in as--
-arms around my legs, hunching over. I can't stand this much longer, and am loosing myself to the whatever is possessing my mind and body. How can I protect myself? The others can't help me, and now I'm only a burden to them. Will they even-
--little time as I can manage. Determination runs through my brain, I will survive, I will escape. For once I will belong to myself and only myself, no one else. A loud howl sounds out, echoing in the enclosed forest, and I know that the youkai-hounds have found my trail. Speed is of of the utmost importance now, and if I want to do this right, I must run as fast as I possibly can. Mussels ache and protest, unused to this sort of over-taxation, and my legs are beginning to slow, my footfalls less frequent...--
-notice that I've fallen? Please, someone find me! Urameshi you idiot, look out for your old pal Tori! Kurama, find me! Hiei, think of someone else for once! Urameshi-tachi,-
--NO! I can't give up! I won't give in to the pain! Glancing back, I see their hideous outlines in the night, the silvery-shadows of the moon making them look like ghosts... oh god, someone, anyone, please--
- -...help me...- -
***
Red eyes blazing, Hiei wasn't sure whether the others had noticed when their companion fell to the ground. Despite her light-hearted jests, Tori had become uneasy while they traveled through the Makai, and he pondered upon what was upsetting the young woman so much. In other circumstances he would have ignored her and stayed away as much as possible, but now they were a situation where petty bickering wouldn't help any. While he was unsure of his exact feelings for her, she did have his respect, which he grudgingly allowed her to have do to her skill as a fighter. Since the others hadn't noticed her situation, he would have to be the one to help her.
The fire youkai sped over and quickly scooped up the girl's frozen form. As he jumped out of the heat of the battle, he quickly looked her over, trying to find the wound that had caused her to stumble. To his amazement, she was in perfect physical condition, and hadn't even been hurt by the youkai that had swarmed around the spot where she had been lying. Disgust easily visible on his face, he scooped her stiff form from the ground. He made to sling her carelessly over his shoulder when something about her eyes made him stop.
Those eyes, which had been laughing playfully only a few hours before while Tori had been joking with Yusuke, were now frozen open and full of fear. They rarely blinked, and when they did it seemed to be something forced on them against their will- a task that one would prefer to forget. As Hiei looked at her eyes it became obvious to him that something was seriously wrong. Cradling her scrunched body against his chest, he sped off into the forest, searching for a safe place to deposit his fallen teammate.
***
Hinageshi knocked lightly on the door in front of her. When there was no response, she twisted the knob, nudging the door with the toe of her shoe. Peeking around the corner, she spotted her quarry on the couch, obviously in deep thought. A bit jumpy that she was planning the imminent downfall of two of her superiors, Hinageshi cleared her throat.
Back straightening, Botan slowly looked over her shoulder to see where the unexpected noise had come from. She relaxed when she saw that it was only her prodigy, Hinageshi. Smiling, she turned her thoughts away from what she had been ruminating on- which was, unsurprisingly enough, what she had just found out from Keiko. "Hi Hinageshi, what do you want?"
Telling herself that now was a great time for all those years spent in the Reikai Secondary School Drama Club to be of some use, Hinageshi took a deep breath. "Botan-san, you should really get out of the office more often."
"But I-"
"It's a sort of figure of speech, I know you're hardly ever in the office. I meant that you need to take a break, get some free time."
"Hinageshi, just today I-"
"And I know just what you should do, Botan-san! You could go on a date," Hinageshi stopped to catch her breath, allowing Botan to finally get a whole sentence out at one time.
"I appreciate your interest in my welfare Hinageshi, but how can I go on a date? I don't know any guys that are available- well, not really. Tori's after Hiei (he's not really my type), Kurama's just a friend, and George...well, George is George." There was no way that Botan was going to admit to Hinageshi that she did have her eye on someone- especially since that someone was way out of her range.
"That's okay, Botan-san! I thought you could go on a blind date, I know someone who'd love to go with you. He's got a lot of the same interests, and he even works at the Reikai," smiling inwardly, Hinageshi congratulated herself at reaching stage one of Operation Blind Date.
Blinking in confusion, Botan looked at the other ferry girl. "I thought I said no George-"
"Oh, it's not George, don't worry! He's to old for you anyway."
"But I-" Botan never got a chance to put another word in edgewise. After only five minutes, Hinageshi had left, and a somewhat frazzled Botan was left standing alone in her apartment. She wasn't sure how Hinageshi had done it, but somehow she had gotten her to agree to the date. Slumping back down on the couch, Botan buried her head in her arms, wondering what she was going to do.
Walking down the hall, Hinageshi cringed slightly as she heard muffled crying come from behind Botan's door. Steeling herself, she tried to not let it get to her, after all, if she and George didn't do this, there was some doubt that there would ever be another peaceful day in the Reikai- Koenma was so jumpy and irritable of late...
***
He glared at the girl after depositing her on the ground, and his eyes took on a dangerous shine. "Why didn't you just move," a low growl asked, sounding almost like an animal. Tori didn't look up from where she lay huddled in the dirt, arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Tears streamed down her dirty cheeks, creating pathways and patterns where the grit was washed away by the salty fluid. Her hazel eyes were wide with fright, not registering any movement in front of them. Lips opened to let out a silent answer, and, though he could not be sure, Hiei thought that she said "to close".
"You could have at least opened a portal-" he mumbled, then stopped when it became apparent that she was not aware of him, or even of the world around her. Her eyes were dead, viewing forgotten memories which had come out of hiding from the depths of her mind, provoked by the situation she had just been in.
Sighing, Hiei lifted her onto his shoulder again, and sped off into the night.
-painfearlightsfirepainpeoplecrowdhoardtorchespainblacknessnight...help me...please...-
Her mind drifted in and out of consciousness, surfacing only long enough to catch glimpses of the world that passed by around her. Sometimes she would struggle, trying to escape from the grasping claws of the long lost memory. But it was no use, and she would always fall back into the darkness...
--They were chasing her, coming after her, angry that she had tried to escape their grasp. The youkai were close behind her, determined to get back their possession. A grin spread over her face as she ran, they wouldn't be able to catch her, she had been planning this for to long for them to stop her now... Her laughter stopped as she came up to a cliff. Desperately she glanced around, only to see the throng closing in on her, finding all her exits blocked.
She wasn't stupid, and she knew when it was time to give up the chase. Letting the gleeful expression fade from her face, she formed a ball of energy in her hand, getting ready to attack her assaulters. She never got a chance to use her weapon.
As she prepared to throw it, a blade fell down towards her, cleanly slicing off the hand that had held the ki-ball. For a moment she just sat there, staring at the blood that flowed freely from the severed veins and arteries. It was that moment that cost her her life. They were upon her instantly, and because she knew that she could do nothing, she didn't fight, allowing them to come at her, to tear her body apart.
A gravelly voice hissed near her ear,"Do you know what we do to runaways, girl? We've found that there's only one solution to keep them from trying to run again- death."
She deserved it, the torture and pain, just as she deserved every one of the blows that had been laid upon her back during the violent sessions in the house of her master and owner. Stupid, stupid girl! Thinking that you could outsmart them, thinking that you could be an individual... You're a slave! Don't you know what that means? No life of your own, no escape, no end...
NO! Her mind cried out, there was a way out, an escape, and she was taking it.
The pain that her body felt was nothing compared to the pain that pierced her heart at the idea of continuing this monstrosity mockingly called life. <Finally,> her body and mind sighed in unison, <finally we will rest.>--
And then the world went black.
***
Chapter Seven: Let Sleeping Babes Lie
Approaching the entrance to Koenma's office, a slight smile pulled at George's lips as he heard faint snores through the thick wood. Upon entering, he found the chibi asleep at his desk, head cushioned by folders and paper. Sighing, the oni shook his head. Koenma's mother had died when her son was still very young, and Enma Daioh was always to busy to watch after his son, because of this George had become the nanny, and eventual surrogate mother, of the demigod. When he saw how Koenma was worked to utter exhaustion, it just boiled his blood.
Scooping the still-sleeping boy - no, young man - in his arms, George remembered fondly when he used to tuck his charge in at night, good night kiss, bedtime story and all. Those days were long gone, and he had watched the tiny baby grow up - if not physically, then mentally, and there was always his bishounen form.
Back in the hall (now with Koenma), George gestured with one arm to the surrounding oni to be quiet, point to his burden. As he passed, the workers couldn't help but smile. While they were always overworked, they never suffered as much as their boss, and this was one of the things that helped them get through the day. Though George and a few others tried to suppress the rumors, it was a well-known fact that Koenma would often go for days with little more than catnaps to sustain him. In fact, if it wasn't for people like Botan and George looking out for Koenma, he would have most likely died from over-taxation decades ago.
Once he reached his destination, Koenma's apartments, George made a beeline for the bed, where he quickly placed his sleeping load, and, unable to resist the temptation, tucked him in. Fumbling around in his pocket, he finally found the note he had had Hinageshi write up for him. Uncrumpling it, he tried to flatten out the creases, to no avail. Giving up, George placed on the nightstand next to Koenma's bed, making sure to put it where the chibi god would find it when he woke up.
Mission accomplished, George stood for a moment just watching Koenma sleep, then tip-toed out of the room, closing the door softly behind himself.
***
When he had finally stopped jumping through the tree tops, sure that they were far enough away from the fight for him to safely leave her somewhere, he had found a cave, one that he knew about, and had been about to dump her there when he realized that he couldn't. If it had been the Ningenkai, not Makai, that they were in, he wouldn't have minded leaving her alone (he thought), but her in the Makai... there were to many creatures that would delight in taking advantage of the fact that she was in a trance, and unable to fight. So now, unable to leave, he was forced to sit still and await her awakening, with nothing to occupy him but his mind.
It bothered him that he had not been able to just abandon her, that he felt an obligation to watch her. Only a few years before he would have thought, felt, nothing at the idea of leaving a defenseless ningen alone to suffer in from the strangeness of the Makai, and those that lived there. He was becoming soft, and he knew it. This meant that the other voice in his head - the one who continually urged him to talk to Tori about her feelings for him, the voice that was always insisting that he had enjoyed her kiss, and couldn't wait for another - it meant that this voice, this part of him, was getting stronger. And he was definitly not comfortable with that. Worst of all, he wasn't even sure if he really did hate that change that was happening to him.
Hiei watched as Tori lay on the other side of the fire, still frozen in a fetal position, unsure of what to do. For some reason he felt himself thinking about the day that she had left, and once again found himself pondering what she had really said, "...it's her brother who I've always been in love with..." The words floated around in his head, prodding and teasing his brain, determined to draw his attention to them and just generally make his life miserable.
When she had left, he had spent several hours pressing down, hiding, and destroying every last thing that he had felt, seen, or heard when she had come to say goodbye. For a time he had even believed that nothing had happened between himself and the young girl from an alternate dimension.
The fire was going out, and the last embers were beginning to cool. Tori seemed to also be emerging from her own little world, or at least her body was acknowledging its surroundings, shivering in the biting wind that swept around them. Scooting himself over so that he sat next to her, Hiei drew Tori closer to him, letting her head rest on his lap. Absentmindedly, he began to stroke her orange hair, but immediately stopped when he realized what he was doing.
Glancing down at her sightless eyes, he wondered what had caused her to freeze in front of their attackers, almost like a deer caught in headlights.
--Below her, she could see her body, mangled and beaten, the black hair matted down with blood. She wanted to call to herself, her mind shouting that it couldn't be true, that this was a dream, and she was just asleep! But she knew that it was a lie, she knew what had happened, that she was dead.
Floating in the air, she felt lost. Wasn't something supposed to happen when you died, wasn't someone supposed to come for you? But no one came, no one came to help guide her soul to where it belonged. It was if someone...something...had forgotten her, forgotten that she was there, that she needed help. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, she finally withdrew, leaving. No one was going to come, it was like all the times before. She was alone, and would have to take care of herself, no one else would. That was the way that it had always been- look after yourself, no one else cares.--
A low moan escaped from her corpse-like body, and Tori's eyelids slid shut, her hands grasping at Hiei's coat. Disgusted, he tried to detach them, only to find that the digits were locked in place. Her whole body shuddered as she drew in a deep breath, then stilled. She seemed to be fine now, her regular and steady breathing indicating that she was a asleep.
Outside the cave, a soft rain began to fall, and noticing that Tori had begun to shiver in her dirt and grass stained kimono, Hiei drew her closer, sharing his warmth with her. After what seemed like an eternity, he fell into a restless, cat-like rest, neither asleep nor awake.
***
Sitting up groggily, Koenma rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and was disoriented for a moment, until he realized that he was, for once, in his own bed. George must have found him asleep in his office again and decided to carry him to a regular bed. Anger flared momentarily, didn't George know that this was the worst possible thing he could have done?! Because of the bed being so comfortable, he had slept longer than he had intended to (he had actually just been resting his eyes when he had fallen asleep), and now there would be piles and piles of paperwork!! The anger eventually subsided, and he sat thoughtfully on his bed, legs crossed in Indian (or, as the politically correct would say, Native North American Peoples) style.
If George had awakened him, he wouldn't have had that wonderful dream with... well, never mind that now, there was work to be done! Important papers to sign, bold memos to be written, and other tasks of the same sort! Hopping off the bed, Koenma noticed a note on his nightstand, picking it up, he scanned over the text, which read as follows:
Koenma-sama,
It has come to the attention of myself and your loyal employee, Saotome George, that you have been extremely stressed of late. Concerned, we went to your most esteemed father, Enma Daioh, and pointed out your dilemma, as well as the fact that it is keeping the rest of the Reikai from working to full potential. Upon further discussion, it was decided that you are due for some time off.
Since your dedication to your work is well known, it was necessary to take precautions making sure that you actually take time off. George and myself consulted various different texts, and, taking into account the fact that you are very punctual and would never consider standing someone up, we decided that the best method would be the ningen practice of "blind dates".
Your's is next Saturday at six p.m. See George or myself for further information.
Sincerely,
Hinageshi, apprentice Reikai ferry girl
The meaning of the note hit him like a hammer (think Maiji-chan-chan's hammer ^_^). He had to go on a date. A blind date, which meant that he didn't get to choose who he went with. Not like there was anyone he'd want to go on a date with, other than Botan... But she'd never shown any interest in him, and after the way he had yelled at her a few days ago...
Picking up the receiver of a phone, he paused for a moment, then quickly dialed up Hinageshi. <This is my own fault,> he grumbled mentally, <if I hadn't been so concerned with getting all the work done, I would have realized that those two were up to something.> One must note that being an omnipotent being isn't all it's cracked up to be.
***
Chapter Eight: Star Light, Star Bright
As the last of the youkai fell, Yusuke stopped, looking around. Something was wrong. About a hundred feet to his left stood Kurama, rose whip still in hand. Where were Tori and Hiei? Thinking hard, he realized that he hadn't seen them since the beginning of the battle... Swiftly closing the space between himself and Kurama, Yusuke approached the kitsune.
Kurama spoke first. "Did you see them go?"
"No. You?"
Shaking his head slightly, Kurama sighed, "No."
"What do you think we should do? They might've been captured," worry found its way into the Yusuke's voice, and once again he looked over the dead bodies around them, some already beginning to decompose, trying to find any sign of his missing companions.
"I pity the youkai who tries to capture Hiei," Kurama murmured, lightly tossing his red hair. "Don't worry about them, Tori's probably with Hiei, they disappeared around the same time. Hiei won't let anything happen to her."
"That little jerk? He hates her!" Yusuke was surprised, and somewhat irked, by the trusting sound in his friend's voice.
"Yusuke, I really wouldn't worry about them anymore. Hiei's not as bad as he seems, and, while he might not even know it himself, he couldn't let any off us get hurt, not even Kuwabara, and probably Keiko as well." Kicking a small stone with the toe of his shoe, Kurama allowed his whip to shrink into a single rose, then a seed, which he stashed away in his hair. "He's very protective of anyone he considers to be one of 'his' people, and, whether he likes it or not, Tori is one of those people."
Though he couldn't believe it, what the youko said made sense to Yusuke. Shrugging slightly, he started off, Kurama beside him. After all, they still had a mission, and Koenma wouldn't stop at skinning them alive if they didn't finish it.
***
Anyone who saw them could have been able to tell that the couple was happy. Kuwabara Kazuma, Reikai Tantei extrodinare, was on a date with the the most beautiful girl in the world. He felt like he had achieved his life's importance, and could now die happy. Not that he wanted to die any time soon and miss out on having all of Yukina's attention on him. It was all he could do to contain himself and not do his trademark Yukina Dance.
After getting Tori to fill in for him, Kuwabara had gone directly home, getting ready for his date. Who cared if it wasn't for several hours? He wanted to have everything planned out, everything perfect, before the hour hand on the clock turned to seven. By God, he was in Love, nothing mattered any more. (scary, no?)
First they had gone to a nice restaurant for dinner (the choosing of which was courtesy of Shizuru, who was positive that her bumbling baby brother would have no idea of the Correct Place to take a nice girl). There, Kuwabara had tried hard not to be amazed that Yukina wasn't wearing a kimono- apparently Keiko and Shizuru had ganged up on the (poor, poor) koorime, and taken her shopping for a dress. Yukina's transformation was almost scary, and Shizuru was quite positive that her brother's brain had blown a fuse.
(Later in life she always held that there had been a distinct "popping" sound, like something small exploding, when Kuwabara set eyes on Yukina. It was later decided that this was the annihilation of what he had left of a brain- though Yukina never believed it.)
Now they sat quietly in a park, watching the stars above them, brilliant colored lights millions and millions of miles away. Probably Keiko and Shizuru had told Yukina some other tricks of the trade as well, since she had insisted that she was cold, and was now wearing Kuwabara's jacket. When was the last time a koorime was cold?
Ahhhh... young love between different species is so idealistic and wonderful, no?
***
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Words full of questions floated gently to Hiei's ears, dragging out of a restless, dreamless sleep. Turning sleepily, he saw that Tori was standing in the mouth of the cave, staring at the night sky of the Makai. Her cheeks were flushed with an inner excitement, and her eyes had forgotten the fear that had dominated them only a little while before.
Unsure what she was talking about, Hiei was content to just watch her for the moment, the silver-white of the moon highlighting her features, and in the darkness she seemed to posses an ethereal beauty. A blanket of magic covering them, freezing them in time, creating reality out of what was moments before only shadows. Reluctant to shatter the atmosphere, Hiei remained silent.
"When I was little," Tori continued, "I used to watch the stars come out with my father. I haven't seen the constellations of the Makai in decades- at least, not like this, in the wild." On her face, a look of pure wonder mingled with one of joy.
Opening his mouth, Hiei almost said something, then stopped. For some reason he felt that if he spoke then the little nagging voice in his head would win. Actually, now that he thought about it, that voice had been pretty quiet lately, almost, he might dare to say, too quiet. It was planning something. He was sure of it.
She watched as a pale white light streaked across the night sky, and smiled. "Look, Hiei, a shooting star. I used to wonder how anything so beautiful could be a bad omen... Did you know that in America shooting stars are supposed to bring good luck? People make wishes on them..." Turning around, Tori walked over to Hiei, and sat down next to him. Leaning her head against his shoulder,"What do you wish for Hiei? If you could have or do anything in the world, what would it be," she whispered to him, lightly brushing her lips against his ear.
<What do I want?> Hiei wondered, looking up at the sky above. <What are my wishes- my goals- my dreams?> He had never had anything he had ever really planned to do, other than stay alive and find his sister, and now here he was, alive and well, with a sister he could be proud of... <I wish I had the guts to tell Yukina I'm her brother. I wish I knew what I'm going to do with my life... I wish that this night could last forever, that-> Stopping, he examined his thoughts, were they true? Could he really? But- No. Not him. Not her. Ever. <Maybe,> something called softly to him from the recesses of his mind, <maybe...all you really need is time...but if you take to much time...there will never be a chance...>
Shaking his head, he looked over at Tori. Her hair had fallen forward, covering part of her face. Listening to her soft, rhythmic breathing, he knew that she had fallen asleep. Drawing his coat closer to himself, Hiei went back to sleep, his dreams troubled by images of red-haired girls. Afterwards he wondered whether their conversation had ever even occured, because she made no reference to it the next morning.
***
It has been noted, over the years, that fear can be a wonderful motivator. When one is afraid, one will move faster, leap farther, and jump higher than ever before. This includes jumping to false conclusions, which one will often do.
When Botan walked into the archives of the Reikai, it was on the pretense of returning a book, but in actuality she was searching for a quiet place to think where no one would think of looking for her. Thus, the obvious choice was the archives, where everything you want to know (and a whole lot more that you don't) can be found- if you have a lot of time and a lot of patience. It may be noted that Botan has neither of these redeeming qualities (and neither does the author, but notice that she's the one writing this extremely lengthy fic), and because of this had never found the meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Well, that's not true. She had, since The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was on the Reikai required reading list of Extremely Enlightening Texts. Sorry, highly irrelevant information.
Anyway, Botan went to the Reikai Archives, where she was quite surprised to see, of all people, Koenma, mulling over some text or another. Pulling up the empty chair beside him, Botan sat down. She had talked this over with Keiko the day before, and she was pretty sure she understood the whole dating concept. There were only two problems: one, the guy was supposed to ask the girl out (or at least that was the traditional way) and two, Botan had that silly blind date.
Koenma, who was sitting on a large stack of books to make up for his lack of stature, was equally nervous. He had talked to both Hinageshi and George, and neither one would agree to cancel the date. And Konema couldn't cancel because he didn't know who the other person was. Life was sometimes so complicated.
"What are you reading?" Botan asked quietly, knowing that if the Archives' Keeper, a fussy old oni who was always glaring at people through the thick lenses of his square glasses, caught them talking, they would never be able to escape alive- or at least without suffering from a "traumatic and life-changing experience" as one incredibly impressionable young ferry girl had put it.
Flipping the book over so that she could see the cover, Koenma decided that it would be safer to not even risk talking in a whisper. Who he was and what he was meant nothing to the Keeper, who would most likely launch into some embarrassing tale about his childhood.
Glancing at the cover, Botan started slightly, then gave Koenma a long, hard look. She didn't really think he'd be the type of person to be reading Ten Easy Steps for Surviving the Dating Experience. Of course there was also the fact that she was the last one to check it out. She hoped he hadn't looked at the little card in the front. "Is it any good?"
A noncommittal shrug was the only answer she received, and Botan was beginning to get fed up with the one way conversation. "Look," she offered, "do you want to go in the hall and talk?"
It was amazing how quickly Koenma shut the book, got up, and left. Botan was left standing in the room, the book she was returning forgotten in her hand, and a look of confusion on her face- what was going on? What had she said? This was the second time this week that he had gotten angry at her, and she was beginning to wonder what she had ever seen in him in the first place.
Out in the hall, Koenma felt like hitting himself. What do you say to the girl of your dreams (and she had been in so many of his dreams) when she wants to talk to you, and you want to ask her out, except your "well-meaning" friends/employees have decided to spring a blind date on you? It was such an awkward situation...
***
Chapter Nine: Staying Alive or Staying Awake?
Koenma wasn't the only one who was in an awkward situation concerning his love life. In the Makai, Hiei wasn't doing much better. He had awakened again, and daylight was spilling through the opening of the cave, which meant that it was time for them to be leaving. Standing up, he nudged the still-sleeping Tori with his boot. In response to his efforts, she rolled away from his touch, mumbling something like "Fife mo' minutes- is summer vacation..." then drifted back to dream land.
Tori's chances of getting her "fife mo' minutes" didn't look very good, as her companion was busy being irritated and in a bad mood (wait- isn't he always like that? maybe it's just more than usual). Hiei took a firm grip on Tori's ankles, catching up the hem of the kimono with it, and yanked her up. It must be said that hanging three inches above the ground, upside down by your ankles, is not the ideal way to wake up on a Wednesday morning.
Tori's first response was to thrash around violently, but when this got no sympathy, she tried the Really Big Bambi Eyes (tm), a trick that all trained bishoujo are familiar with, as a course of self-preservation. This, too, failed miserably (but then, it would be a great surprise if such a tactic worked on Hiei of all people). Tori was sorely tempted to swing forward and hit him right where it hurts- but then, he had been nice enough to save her earlier...speaking of which... "What happened?"
"Hn?" The fire demon's classic grunt came out more like a "Huh?", accompanied with a very stupid look of utter ignorance on his face.
Sighing, Tori had to remind herself that she liked this guy, and he wasn't going to return her affections (in any way what-so-ever most likely) if she used him as a punching bag on which to vent her frustration. Life can be so cruel at times. "When I passed out- which is what I'm about to do if you don't let me down."
Always one to take someone literally, Hiei put Tori down- by letting go of her ankles. She covered her head protectively with her hands just in time, nearly avoiding giving the uneven cave floor a lively coating of pinkish-gray matter. "Hn."
"Okay then, be unsocial, Mr. Munchkin With A Severely Limited Vocabulary!!" Having had her fill of his grumpiness, Tori decided that it was time to leave- who cared if he had saved her life? Who cared if she happened to be in love with him? Who cared if he didn't have anyway to get back to the Ningenkai? Tori was one pissed-off female, and she decided that she wouldn't mind eliminating one part of her personality for a period of five seconds, such as her patience. Head aching slightly from her fall, she jumped up and through a portal that she had created, making sure to close it good and tight behind herself.
It must be noted that Hiei was completely clueless as to why she had reacted in such a negative manner. All he had done was respond in his usual manner, something that surely didn't cause him to deserve to insulted and abandoned- maybe this had something to do with that female thing that he had heard Yusuke and Kuwabara discussing at one point... What was it called again? That Time of The Month? No, that couldn't be the name of it, it was to general...
When Hiei did realize that he had been left in the Makai with no way to return back to Ningenkai, he decided that it was just as well. Maybe now he could have some time to himself and find out what that annoying little voice that was usually in his head was now up to... and possibly find a way to kill it. Think again Hiei- do you really think that the author is going to let you get out of this that easily? ^_^
***
Koenma was most definitely not in the best of moods. He had to go on a date in four days that he didn't want to go on and he couldn't get out of, unless he tried to defy his father, something that he had learned a long time ago was a big no-no. Enma Daioh believed in physical punishment- if his son couldn't behave properly, by damn he wasn't going to stop at spanking some common sense into him. One thing could be said about this method though, and that was that for days after it was administered Koenma was definitely more intelligent- his buttocks positively smarted.
So when Kurama and Yusuke walked through his office door, minus one team member and one substitute team member from an alternate dimension, he wasn't very happy. "Well?" The question was hard, with a snappy tone in it that made Yusuke wince- it reminded him that he had promised to spend the day before helping Keiko at her restaurant, and, because of Koenma's mission, had been unable to. He had better do something really nice for her, or there was a good chance of him ending up in a severe medical condition the next time that Keiko saw him. "How did it go? Where are Hiei and Tori?"
Smiling shakily, Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Oh, the mission went fine Koenma. They attacked us and we ended up killing most of the youkai running the fortress in the fight."
"And Hiei and Tori are...?" Leaving the question dangling, golden eyes roved from one tantei to the other.
Stepping forward, Kurama decided that it was time for him to save Yusuke's face. "They disappeared during the fight. We haven't seen any sign of them since, but I wouldn't be to-" It was at that moment that one very angry Tori tumbled onto the floor. Dirt and grass stains covered much of what might have once been a blue kimono, to say nothing of tears and maybe one or two red spots that could have been blood. "-worried?" Voice slightly weak, Kurama looked at Tori with an expression of amazement.
"If I have to deal with his stupid 'Hn' one more time I'm going to rip out his jagan and force it down his throat. Then I'm going to pummel him a few times, and finally," Tori was walking in small circles, waving her arms frantically, "I'm gonna kick right in the nu-" She stopped her tirade as she realized that she had arrived at her destination. More specifically, the wrong destination, as she had been headed to see Kuwabara - someone who would surely appreciate the graphic and gory details of how she was going to punish Hiei for his annoying vocabulary. Staring dumbly for a moment at the males in the room, Tori smiled weakly, "Hi y'all."
Yusuke's face was by now quite white, as he could imagine Keiko doing everything that Tori had just described to him (so what if he didn't have a jagan? Regular eyes or other easy-to-remove body parts could probably be substituted)- and enjoying it. Gulping, he inched to the door, opened it, and gave one last glance at the others, "I just remembered that I hafta be somewhere. See ya later!"
Looking down at her kimono with embarrassment, Tori noticed for the first time its disarray. Snatching up the excuse that she needed to borrow something to wear, she quickly left the room, leaving Koenma and Kurama looking at each other.
Finally, Koenma spoke, "Look, I bet it doesn't hurt nearly as much as it sounds like it does."
"Poor, poor, Hiei..." Kurama trailed off, then left the room.
<Yup,> thought Koenma, <sweet, innocent, if overly-perky, ferry girls are the way to go. They're nice, attractive, and they don't threaten to make you suffer from great injury if you grunt one to many times.> The prince of the dead was quite satisfied with his choice of infatuation, and immensely relieved that he was neither Hiei nor Yusuke.
***
Speeding through the trees, Hiei paid little, if any, attention to the Makai scenery passing by around him. Something felt wrong, something inside of him, but for some strange reason he was unable to pinpoint the source of his disturbance. In most cases the would have been unfazed and unaffected by Tori's outburst of anger, but he had fled for some reason - not wanting to stay in the cave where they had - uncomfortably - stayed the night. He couldn't help but remember the question she had posed during their now dreamlike midnight conversation, watching the stars.
--"What do you wish for Hiei?"-- a small voice whispered to his brain, bringing to mind unwanted thoughts, thoughts that he had shunned. With these came feelings, tagging along like a devoted canine might be forever one step behind its master. --"Why should I be interested in Yukina when it's her brother who I've always been in love with?"-- The voice that symbolized his unconscious (ironically, a standing he was unaware of) prodded at him, sending pictures, images, sounds, and words to his mind, causing it to overload - all efforts to stop it were proved useless. It was no use, whether he liked it or not, it was now time to examine, decide, and finally face the facts.
Freezing atop a tree, Hiei suddenly realized what was happening - what had already happened. He remembered now what he wanted in his life - it was not power, fame, fortune, or strength - the one thing that his whole body had longed for since its early childhood abandonment was to be loved. At one time he had sought his sister, unconsciously feeling that she was the only one who ever would - or could - love a creature like him.
The idea that someone else could care for him in any real manner was so alien to Hiei that his entire self, body and mind, rejected it, felt repelled by it - and yet, at the same time, yearned for it...
--" If you could have or do anything in the world, what would it be?"-- Tori's words bubbled up in his mind, and without even realizing it, Hiei's mind answered the soundless question, <You - if I could have anything it the world - I would choose you.>
***
Chapter Ten: All's Fair in Love and War
Looking at Keiko, Tori blinked, her jaw dropping open. "You mean you actually got him to set a date? Gee, how'dja do that?" She scratched her head, trying to understand the complexity of the situation at hand. Upon arriving at Keiko's ramen shop, Tori had found herself swept up in a heated discussion between Keiko, Botan, and Shizuru. Finally, nearly five minutes later, she had finally figured out what everyone was jabbering about. Yusuke broken down and set a date for their wedding.
Pausing for a moment in her reverie, Keiko studied her hands, "I have no idea. He just burst in with this really scared look on face- I figured that since it looked like he would agree with anything I said at that point, I worked him over."
"Ahhhh, thou put'st to work thy 'wile feminine charms'," Tori nodded appreciatively, ignoring the fact that most likely Yusuke's dazed state had been the result of her earlier tirade in Koenma's office. "The male population may be extremely idiotic at times, but in the end they always come through." The last part of what she said trailed off, a tone of wistful hope in her voice.
Turning her attention to the shortest member of their group, Shizuru hrmphed, "What do you know about men, Tori? You've only chased one as far as I know, and he's an antisocial little runt with an attitude problem."
"I'll have you know that I've been married three times and widowed once," the tantei announced proudly, adding, when she received confused looks, "in different lives, of course- they were all arranged by my parents", as a way of explanation.
As the others went on to describe dating and courtship experiences, Botan felt like she had been left on the side lines. This whole phenomenon felt like a wake-up call to Death, effectively pointing out that she was the oldest- as well as the least experienced.
"I don't see how you can all be experts on the subject," a disgruntled Botan grumbled quietly under her breath. Apparently this hadn't been quietly enough, as Tori turned to the ferry girl, smiling slightly.
"We aren't, but we have had experience. I suppose you know more, Botan-chan, since you're older than us."
A slight blush rising in her cheeks, Botan looked down at the table top. "Ummm... you see... that is..." Building up her courage, she finally got the words out, "I've never been on a date before." Noting that the other girl's mouths had formed (large) O's of surprise, she quickly hurried on, "But I am going on a blind date this coming Saturday."
Tori, Shizuru, and Keiko exchanged (devious) looks, then all three turned to look at the now-nervous Botan. "Is that so?" Shizuru lifted one eyebrow, slightly amused, "And you've never been on a date before, huh? As members of the female populace, it is our privilege and duty to prepare you for What Is To Come! To the mall!" Dragging a somewhat dazed ferry girl behind them, the trio left the shop, Keiko turning the sign in the window to "CLOSED" as they exited. They were going to have lots of fun.
***
Meanwhile, not to far away, Yusuke was relating his tale of woe to Kuwabara. He described in detail how he had been conned by (sweet, lovely) Keiko into setting a date for their wedding. In short, he was now doomed and his bachelor days were numbered. "Gee man, that is rough," the tall red-head had a great deal of sympathy for his best-friend-slash-arch-rival. Not that he had anything against the practice of marriage, mind you (if he did, what would become of his love for Yukina?), it was just that he had to feel sorry for anyone who got sucke-er, wooed into Keiko, who was nothing less than a wild cat.
"I don't know what got into me. I should have resisted, but it was like I had no will-power of my own! Kami-sama, Kuwabara, what's happening to me?!" One haggard tantei looked desperately at his friend.
Studying Yusuke, Kuwabara sighed. It was only to obvious to the phsycic youth what was happening, "I'm sorry to have to be the one to break it to ya, Urameshi, but I do believe you have succumbed to the phenomenon more commonly known as 'love'. I'm sorry, but I do believe that you are, in fewer words, doomed."
"Isn't that being a bit to harsh, Kuwabara?" Kurama asked, entering the room. He had come home to find Yusuke sitting on his doorstep, a dazed look on his face. Worried, he let the leader of the Urameshi team into the house, then called Kuwabara.
Barely glancing up, the taller youth shrugged, "Hey, this is Keiko we're talking about."
Nodding in understanding, Kurama sat down next to Yusuke on the couch. "True." He stuck out his hand to Yusuke, "Nice to have known you Yusuke."
Yusuke burst into tears.
***
One of the many things that Botan had never experienced in her six-thousand-plus years was the experience of shopping. Sure, she had gone out to get gifts and such things for friends, but had never thought of buying something for herself- when would she find the free time to put it to use? Clothes had been another thing that Botan had never had to worry about, her kimono, and the various disguises were provided for her as part of her job.
Therefore, Botan had no idea what she was getting herself into when she "asked" her friends to "help" her get ready for her date. Oh... poor Botan... Let us have a moment of silence to foreshadow the impending doo- ah...heh... downfall of everyone's favorite ferry girl. Remember what the same lot (minus one) did to Yukina? And they just about destroyed Kuwabara's brain as well (it's so obvious that Shizuru has it in for her baby bro).
Luckily for Botan, Tori was along on the expedition, and, being the level (hot) headed person that she was, she wouldn't let Botan suffer too much from the combined wrath of Keiko and Shizuru. Pausing in front of a clothes wrack, Tori motioned to the rest of the escapade to halt. Lifting up a pair of black pants, she spoke the Third ultimate question of a shopping venture, "What do you think?" The First question being, "What does it cost?", and the Second, "Should I get it?"
Botan was promptly dragged away to a dressing room, where she spent the next few hours, trying on one outfit after another. By the time they finally left the mall, Botan was so dizzy that she didn't feel safe riding her oar back to the Reikai, and ended up spending the night at Genkai's temple, where she attempted to beat Tori at one of the several arcade games that were placed haphazardly around the building.
***
"So, Koenma-sama, all ready for tomorrow night?" Hinageshi asked cheerfully when she bumped into Koenma, who was hurrying down the hall. There was a look of forlorn on his face, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. "Um... Koenma-sama, when was the last time you slept?"
"Huh? Oh- I just got up..."
"How long did you sleep for?" Hinageshi prodded as she scanned him up and down, looking at him for the first time in who know's how long. The red headed ferry girl frowned, he was supposed to be on vacation and resting, but he just looked worse than ever.
"I'm not sure..." The demi-god's eyes had a dazed look, almost like their golden-brown depths were glazed over.
Sweatdropping, Hinageshi placed a hand on her boss' shoulder, and steered him towards his rooms. Too tired and too weak to resist the ferry girl, Koenma allowed himself to be herded down the hall, his baby-face looking incredibly adorable every time he yawned. Smiling down fondly at her "charge", Hinageshi pushed him into his room, letting the door shut behind her. The things she did for her friends...
***
Chapter Eleven: It's Like the Blind Leading the Blind...
Shivering, Botan looked around herself, wondering where the person who was supposed to meet her was late. Trying to stay warm, she tugged nervously at the belt around her was that held the long black coat she was wearing shut. Yes, it was most definitely winter in this part of Ningenkai. Turning up the collar of her coat, she stepped under a tree, trying to get away from the snow that was beginning to fall- all the while silently cursing George and Hinageshi for deciding that the two- ah- victims (ahem) should meet in a park- in winter, of all times! Maybe they needed to check into a mental asylum.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she decided that her date had arrived. Considering that he was a whole fifteen minutes late, the "cold-shoulder" method seemed to be a wonderfully appetizing approach, so when a panting figure stopped behind her, she didn't even turn around.
"I'm...sorry...I'm...late..." the man gasped while trying to catch his breath. "I...had...a lot...of work...to do in...my office...got off late."
Botan's entire body had turned stiff as a board. That was most definitely a familiar voice. How could she not recognize it after it had haunted her in her dreams and every waking moment for the last millennia? She slowly pivoted on the heel of her boot, violet eyes wide in wonder, "Koenma-sama?"
"Botan-chan?" The demigod stared at her, and seemed to have gone into shock. Koenma shook his head, trying to organize his thoughts, "Uh... So, Botan, what are you doing here?"
"Doing? Here?"
"Um, yeah. What are you doing?"
"Oh. I'm waiting for someone."
"Really? Who?"
"Oh. A friend of a friend."
"Oh."
"And you?"
"Huh?"
"What are you doing here, Koenma-sama?"
"You can drop the honorary, we're not at work."
"Then, what are you doing here, Koenma...?" "Um. I'm supposed to meet someone."
"Really?"
"Yeah. A...friend of a friend.
"Oh."
They just stood there stiffly for several minutes, each trying to see if the other was looking at them, while at the same time trying to make it look like they weren't trying to see if the other was looking at them. Shuffling his feet, Koenma looked at her from the corners of his eyes. Gee. She looked like an angle, snowflakes drifting strategically around her face, her violet-pink eyes meltingly beautiful... He shook his head suddenly, trying to avoid being hypnotized by those eyes, and ended up disturbing the snow that was falling around him. "So, where's this friend of a friend that you're supposed to meet?" Cold-numbed fingers fumbling slightly, Botan managed to open her coat pocket, taking out her watch. Squinting slightly to see the time in the fast-fading light, she sighed. "He was supposed to be here about twenty minutes ago... But I think I've been stood up."
<He? Stood up?> Koenma stiffened, his back going rigid. <Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid...> His mind chanted the word over and over to him, pointing out various things to him, things that he had never even noticed before. <That's why she's been acting so strange! She's already got someone... Should have known, someone as wonderful as her...> Oh, well, maybe he could at least be her friend. "I don't think the person I'm supposed to meet is going to show up either- Since we both have the night off, it would be a shame to waste it by going back to the Reikai. Would you mind hanging out with your boss for the evening, Botan-chan?"
A weak, yet hopeful, smile curved the tips of her lips, and she finally made eye-contact with him. "I'd love to, Koenma."
"Great! It's a date!"
She paused, and for a moment Koenma's heart sank as he berated himself for being so presumptuous- when Botan's half-grin broke into a full-fledged smile. "Yeah, a date." They walked off into the Ningenkai night, quietly talking to each other.
In the bushes two shadowy figures stood up, grinning brightly enough to put a 100-watt bulb to shame. "Mission: Accomplished," the taller one said, "though I must admit that I feel a bit guilty..."
The shorter one replied, in a small, feminine voice, "Ne, George-san, what's that quaint ningen phrase? 'All's fair in love and war'?"
"Good point, Hinageshi-chan." They stood for a moment in silence.
Until Hinageshi flung her arms up, and started jumping, "Piggy-back ride, George-san! Carry me!" Laughing, the oni picked up the slight ferry maiden, and the Dastardly Duo tromped off through the snow, heading for the Reikai, for home.
***
Watching Keiko bounce around, excitedly planning her wedding, I have been reminded of why I originally came here. I fooled myself at first, saying that it was just a trip to visit some friends- friends that I could just as well visit in my own dimension. Yet, looking back I realize that even then my subconscious knew what was happening, what I was doing. It knew that I was taking a chance, looking for an exit, anything.
I can't play games with myself any longer- it's a pointless exercise, a loosing battle of endless remorse.
They'll be upset when they realize what I've done, hurt that I didn't even say farewells. It's not like I can help it... saying goodbye would only drive the pain deeper into my heart, and I might very well reach the point of no return. Personally, I think I reached that point years ago, the first time that I met that irritating- yet charismic- fire youkai. Damn him and his antisocial stubbornness!
I stop now, standing in the snow, inhaling deeply the sharp freshness of this winter night. Here's as good a place as any to open my gateway home, but first there are a few things I need to say.
"Hiei," I whisper his name, a quiet question to an empty night. There are so many thing I'd like to tell him, but I don't. "Remember when I went into that trance?" I can almost imagine him, standing behind me, his calm indifference keeping him silent. "I never told you what happened, did I? I asked Koenma about it, and, apparently I suffer from an acute case of agoraphobia." A smile causes the ends of my lips to curve upwards. If I were really speaking to Hiei, he would grunt now, because he doesn't know what that means. "In other words, I'm afraid of large crowds of people I don't know. Specifically youkai."
Taking a deep breath, I continue, feeling that if I let this out, it won't matter that I never told him, that I never tried... "In my first life, I had a relatively happy early childhood, but when I was still quite small a band of bandits came through my village. They took everyone's valuables, and then all the children, myself include. At the next large city they pawned the goods, and we were sold off as slaves."
My legs turn to jelly, and I sink to my knees in the cold snow, remembering the episodes that I had forgotten for so long. "After several decades, I got fed up with my life as a slave, and- making a wild dash- tried to escape." Wrapping my arms around myself for warmth, I sway slowly, recalling now the pain, "It didn't work. I was caught, beaten, and killed. And then, when I found myself dead, no one came. I was utterly alone, and there was no chance of a ferry girl coming to get me- Reikai had apparently lost my file long ago, and they had no idea that I'd kicked the bucket."
Convulsions heave through my small frame as I once again experience that feeling of being alone, and knowing that no one would come and find me. Of knowing that wherever I went, I would be different, an outsider. My words are choppy now, spaced between sobs, as I tell of how my spirit hopped from one ningen body to another, and, over time, forgetting what had caused it to be stuck in such a situation. God, I'm nuts- I've ruined another life, haven't I? I've gone and thrown my last chance away, and there's no way I can regain it. It must be that I am one of those people everyone always hears about, cursed with eternal bad luck. Most likely I'll end up in hell when I finally die, just to top it off.
The moon is rising in the sky, and I know that it is time for me to be going. Though I don't know why I'm doing this- well, that's not true. I want to torture myself more, by going back to where I came from, a place where every day I'll be reminded of what I haven't done, of all my failures, of what I've lost a chance at...shit...
He must have masked his ki- how else would I have been unable to know that he was there? It took me a moment to register what had happened when I felt a weight resting on my shoulder. The warmth it emitted comforted me, helped me control my rampaging emotions. Turning my eyes upwards, I was surprised to see him, standing there, a strange look on his face.
"You're going to leave, aren't you?" A deep whisper, his question catches me off guard.
"Huh? Oh- yes."
"Do you want to go?"
"I think so..." Something's different. As his red eyes hold my hazel ones, something clicks. "No."
He breaks off from my gaze, looking out at the night sky, crystal clear with the brisk cold of winter. Brow furrowing, he studies the stars, noting as a light streaks across the sky. "You once said that Americans make wishes on stars." His hand slips off my shoulder, sliding down my arm to my hand, which he grabs and yanks, pulling me to my shaking feet. Letting out my breath, which I hadn't even known I was holding, it forms a slight fog in front of my face, then disappears. "You asked me- you asked me if I could have anything in the world, what would I want." I look at him in wonder, surprised that he even remembers. That night in the Makai I was sure that he was asleep- he hadn't said anything, but then, he rarely says anything. "Do you still want to know my answer?"
Nodding my head dumbly, I find myself thinking how gorgeous he looks in moonlight, and look away, blushing. Oi vey- me and my hentai thoughts.
The hand that is not still clasped in mine snakes upwards, tilting my head so that I am now looking up at him. "This, Tori- This is my answer," and with that single remark, he kisses me soundly on the lips...
***
In the bushes only a few feet away from the two vertically challenged tantei there was a slight rustling. "How mushy can you get," one young man asked his companion, "I mean, you've got your standard reluctant admittance, your holding hands, declaration of love, and kiss, all surrounded by a general air of hopeless angst- get with it people! That's so old!" Yes, these two intruders upon the romantic scene where the designated Mushy Moment Breakers.
Kuwabara turned to Yusuke and smiled, "You're getting all this, right?"
Smiling, Yusuke lifted the video camera on his shoulder and nodded to the unaware couple. "Of course."
Now, any readers who think that these two were being way to immature, well- you are absolutely correct. But hey, who couldn't resist such a wonderful chance to go and pick on Hiei? (And we'll all just ignore the fact that it was the author who told them what was going to happen... ::ahem. glare::)
***
Chapter Twelve: All Good Things...
Pushing the door open, Botan took in the scene before her. Over in a corner, Shizuru was sorting through an armload of video tapes, while Yukina, who was sitting next to her, was randomly picking out tapes. The koorime would read the tape's case, then blush prettily and quickly set it down, murmuring to Shizuru. Draped across a couch, Tori was watching something on the tv, peacefully blowing big pink bubbles in between trying to explain to Genkai what was going on in the show. Keiko, who had been standing next the door, quickly ushered the blue-haired ferry girl in, which was just as well, as Botan was beginning to have second thoughts about attending the ningen female's "bachelorette" party.
The tv emitted a sudden strange noise, and the cartoon that was playing disappeared for a moment, a single rectangle of orange taking its place. Tori burst out laughing, while Genkai studied the screen some more. "Explain."
Between giggles, Tori tried to work out an explanation for the martial arts master, then finally gave up. Sighing, she shook her head, "They really need to do a better job subtitling these videos, most Japanese don't understand half the jokes. I mean, sure, it's anime, but when the people subbing it forget to put in most of the jokes, then it's not going to appeal to people." She shifted over to make room for Keiko, who was going to sit down now that everyone was there.
"What are you watching," Botan asked, leaning on the back of the sofa and looking at the television screen. It was no longer orange and now a girl, short for her age and her head topped with orange-green hair, was running after another short figure, this one in black, shouting what appeared to be (according to the subtitles) insults. Being a ferry girl for Reikai meant that one had to know several languages, and as one of the languages that Botan was quite fluent in was English, she understood what was being said- and realized that what Tori had said about how whoever had subtitled the video had done a bad job of it was correct.
"JAMM," responded the Reikai tantei, yawning. "It's an American cartoon that's done in anime style. Most of the plot revolves around that one girl," she pointed to the one with the orange-green girl, "and that guy," she pointed to the one in black. "The guy- short Mr. Hedgehog- likes the girl, but the girl can't stand him, so she's always trying to get rid of him with these crazy attacks- she's a carrot youkai."
Genkai huffed, eying the screen suspiciously, "Carrot youkai?! That's insane, there aren't such things."
Standing up, Tori stretched, then walked over to the set, stopped the tape, and popped it out. "Since no one else understands what's going on anyway," she concluded, "we might as well watch whatever Shizuru brought.
Staggering over, the older woman dumped the videos she had been looking at on the floor. "I figured that since this is a bachelorette party, we should watch movies with hunky guys..."
Leaning over, Tori picked up one of the tapes, "What's this...? Oh! Fushigi Yuugi! That's a great series, lots of bishounen."
Glaring at the vertically challenged red head, Shizuru hmphed, "Bishounen? Why watch cartoons when you can watch tapes with real people on them?"
"Two words: plot and comedy. Let's take a vote- hunky guys or bishounen?" Tori held up two cases, presenting them to the rest of the assembled.
"BISHOUNEN!!!"
"'kay, Fushigi Yuugi it is!" And so the females made themselves comfortable, settling down for a night of drama, comedy, bishounen, and Miaka's continuous, ear-shattering cries of "TA-MA-HO-MEE~E!"
***
It's hard to look at something and pretend that you're not looking. Hinageshi was experiencing this difficulty first hand as she struggled to not deliberately look at Botan as she exited Koenma's office. Sighing, the ferry maiden in training sidled up to her superior, her face brilliantly lit by a smile, her eyes dancing with an inner air of mischievousness. "So Botan, how was your date?" She hadn't seen the other woman since the night of said occurrence- Botan was still on vacation and she had spent the night before over at Keiko's for some type of party.
Turning slowly to look at the shorter female, Botan's lavender eyes acquired a glazed look as she remembered what had happened a few nights before. Shaking her her head softly, she smiled, "I got set up Hinageshi-chan. The guy never came."
"Really? I'll have to get on his case about that. He's a personal friend of mine and it grieves me to know that he's not as trustworthy as I thought." Affecting what she hoped to be a disappointed air, Hinageshi silently cheered inside.
Starting down the hall, her back now turned to her friend, Botan added, "By the way, don't assume that just because people don't say anything, it means that they don't know what's going on." With that she turned around the corner, out of sight, leaving Hinageshi to ponder out what she had been told. Maybe she should have studied harder when she was in drama club...
***
Sometimes I like to just sit in a quiet place and think about what has happened to me. Now, as I squat here, among the the snow-covered branches of evergreens, I ponder upon how my life was changed by the arrival of a girl, a seemingly insignificant female, in my life. Maybe I'm just a softie for girls who are shorter than me, who knows? Surely not myself...
But it is nice to know that there's something good in my life, something that will last.
***
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Most of the characters in this story are the property of Yoshihiro Togashi, Shonen Jump Weekly, Studio Pierrot, and Fuji Television. No infringements of their rights are intended. Those that are not, belong to M.E. and cannot be used without my express permission.
© M.E. (Magnificent Entity), November 26, 1999. All rights reserved. Please do not reproduce any part of this text without the express permission of the author. M.E., aka Manda Hunter, can be contacted at [email protected]
