Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ A Rose Turned Real ❯ The Thing With Pinecones ( Chapter 2 )

AN: Kuah- cow, German insult

 

 

 

Eris lay her head on her desk, eyes closed and snoring slightly. The teacher frowned in her direction and motioned for Alex to wake her up. Alex smirked and leaned in next to her ear.

 

“Oh Ellllllf!!”

 

Groan.

 

“Your pretty boy Legato just walked in and blew up Pesca's head with his mind control!!”

 

Eris' head snapped up with a hopeful look on her face, “Really?!”

 

“No.”

 

Smack.

 

“Owwwie!!!”

 

“Baka.”

 

“If you two are quite finished we'll get on with the lesson.”

 

“Hehe, sorry…” Eris scratched the back of her neck then glared at Alex as Mr. Pesca turned back to write on the chalkboard. For a split second she tried concentrating, and even picked up her pen to write a note or two. Then she blinked, looked back at Alex grinning at her from the desk over and rose a brow.

 

“Hey, wait a minute, you're not in my math class! What the crap are you doing here?”

 

“The office sent me down here to get you.”

 

“Oh God, what the hell did I do now?”

 

“Nothing. Yet.” They both smirked. “But seriously, you've just been nominated the luckiest girl in the school.”

 

“Now why do I highly doubt this?”

 

“Elf, Alex, do you think you could move this out into the hall please?”

 

Eris got up and saluted her algebra teacher, “Aye, sir! I be back quicker than the shake of a lamb's tail!” A few kids snorted and watched her leave.

 

Quickly opening the door and zipping out into the hall, she quickly found herself met with a wall. The kind that breathes and says “Ow.”

 

Alex burst out laughing, “I keep telling you to slow the hell down, but noooo!! It's zip, zip, whoosh, run as fast as you can with you, Elf. You're lucky they never wax the floors.”

 

Eris rubbed her head and sent a death glare Alex's way, “Yeah, yeah, yuck it up while you can, Kuah.”

 

Alex cringed and started backing away as Eris got to her feet and looked as if she was going to pummel the other girl. Or at least give her a noogie or something.

 

“Elf, don't look at me like that! You're scary when you use foreign insults!”

 

A hand on her shoulder made her whip around to face none other than Shuichi `Fujimori'. She nearly screamed, but swallowed it into a cough.

 

“Alex,” she said pleasantly over her shoulder, still staring at him. “What's going on?”

 

“As I was saying before you turned into a scary psycho killer, you're in charge of him for the next month.”

 

“Could you possibly elaborate on that?”

 

Alex sighed and leaned her elbow on top of Eris' head like she was a chair or something. Shuichi blinked, then smiled, looking like he was about to start laughing. Eris sighed from the corner of her mouth and glared upwards, then quickly stepped back and watched her friend fall to the floor.

 

“ELF!”

 

Eris sighed again and turned to Shuichi. “Excuse us for a second…”

 

She grabbed Alex's wrists and dragged her across the floor a few paces. Shuichi arched an eyebrow, then shrugged and leaned back against the wall.

 

As soon as they were out of ear shot, Eris turned on Alex, “What the hell do you mean I'm in charge of him?!”

 

“I mean,” she said, rubbing her wrists and sitting up. “That you are to take him to your classes with you and stuff.”

 

Eris' brows knitted together in exasperated confusion. “Aren't their host people supposed to do that?”

 

“He doesn't have one.”

 

“Oh really?” she said in interest. Her eyes narrowed and drifted over to the bored figure. He pushed himself off the wall and wandered over to the religious painting on the opposite one. Eris examined the back of him, taking note on how his hair resembled a fox tail and his demeanor suggested a person far older than what appeared. Or maybe her imagination was overly suggestive.

 

Alex's voice broke into her thoughts. “They couldn't find the name of his host family when he got here, but he swears he signed up for the exchange. They picked your name out of a hat so to speak and now you're stuck with him. Not that that's exactly bad when the kid's a total hotty.”

 

Eris laughed and shook her head. “This just figures. Somehow I don't believe the bit about me being picked randomly.”

 

“Hey, if you don't want the job, I'll sure as hell take it!!”

 

Eris quieted her down with a look then turned back to staring at her new charge. “Doesn't he seem familiar to you?”

 

“Not really, why?”

 

She didn't believe this, “Not even a little?!”

 

“Maybe a little, but I think I'd remember someone with hair like that.”

 

Eris refrained from knocking her upside the head. She couldn't blame Alex. The taller girl wasn't near the anime buff she was.

 

“Ok fine, I'll do it.”

 

“Awesome! Hey, aren't your parents gone this week and next? Can we tie him up in your basement and do naughty things to him?!” She was actually bouncing on her feet and clutching her hands hopefully in front of her.

 

Smack.

 

“OWIE!! Ok, ok! Maybe not!”

 

“Maybe later.”

 

“Ooo…!”

 

“If you're nice.”

 

“Damnit!”

 

Shuichi turned as a tap was felt on his shoulder. Eris gulped and forced out a smile. She hadn't just been planning to play out perverted fantasies, oh no. Not at all.

 

“So…guess we get to be glued at the hip for the next month, eh?”

 

Yeah, I wish. In fact I'm wishing a lot of things at the moment. AH! NAUGHTY THOUGHTS!! Stop iiiit!!

 

Shuichi laughed at her choice of words and nodded. “Yes, I suppose so. May I ask you something?”

 

Anything. Take me! I'm yours!! DAMNIT. Those eyes are going to be the death of me I just know it…

 

“Depends on the question.”

 

He took this as a yes. “Is your name really `Elf' or do you have a different name?”

 

Eris laughed now, and scratched her neck. Damn nervous habits. “My name's Eris, they just call me Elf. It's a stupid elementary school nickname. I've always been smaller than the rest of the kids in my grade and one day some jerk called me an elf. It stuck, and I became Elf.” She shrugged and waved to her smug looking friend as she left to return to her own class.

 

Shuichi pondered this for a moment. “I never really pictured elves as short.”

 

“Yeah, me neither. More like tall and-”

 

“-Graceful with long hair and fair skin.” He finished for her. They both stopped in their tracks and gave each other startled looks. Then they laughed nervously.

 

“Ok, that was weird. But yes, that's more of my take on them. Of course when you're a snot-dripping first-grader, the only elves you know about live in the North Pole, helping some fat guy in a red suit who brings you toys.”

 

“Ah, youth. Childhood.”

 

“It's overrated. Or at least mine was. Being the youngest sucks.”

 

She rolled her eyes then reached out to open the classroom door. The clocks must have struck three because the door suddenly flew open and a stampede of kids poured out into the hall, knocking them both back onto the floor, Eris landing right in Shuichi's lap.

 

A few kids pointed and laughed, and the more notorious female flirts of the school gave her death glares, that of which she matched with her own. They walked quickly away in a huff, flipping their hair over their shoulders and talking heatedly to one another.

 

Eris groaned and fell back, forgetting Shuichi was under her. A loud “Oomph!” was heard.

 

Flushing crimson, she jolted to her feet and helped him up.

 

“Sorry…”

 

“It's ok,” I rather enjoyed it. He thought to himself, and blushed the color of his hair.

 

A little laugh brought him back to earth, remembering he was supposed to follow this girl to keep his cover, and trailed after her into the classroom.

 

“Isn't the school day over?”

 

“Yeah, just gotta get my books then we can get out of here. See you on Monday Mr. Pesca!”

 

“See you later Elf,” he handed her a piece of paper with the assignment written on it. “And try not to skip any problems this time, ok? If you need any help I'm here early every morning.”

 

Eris gave her teacher a half smile, totally blowing him off, and rushed out the door with a quickly following Shuichi.

 

She certainly is a fast one. Overall rather interesting really. I might enjoy staying with this girl.

 

*

 

“Whew! TGIF! Thank God It's Friday, don'tcha know.” Eris grinned and slung a bag strap over one shoulder. She breathed in the crisp wintry air and closed her eyes as she walked down the sidewalk, her new companion at her side.

 

“Is it always this cold here??” He voiced and shoved his numb hands into the pockets of his tailored black pants.

 

Eris peeped open an eye and smiled smugly. “Are you kidding me? It's 56 degrees out! I'm sweating in this heat! This is considered a perfect day this time of year. It's winter, yet not bitterely cold, or too hot too fast.”

 

She took off her jacket just to further her point, and offered it to the slightly shivering boy who looked at her like she was insane.

 

“It might be a little small on you.”

 

He took it with a grateful smile and shrugged it on. Eris snorted and averted her eyes to the sky to keep from laughing.

 

“What's so funny?”

 

Chancing a glance at him, she snorted again and bit her lip. “Oh, nothing!”

 

“No wait, tell me!”

 

A few students walking to their cars took one look at him and snickered. Shuichi frowned.

 

“What's with all the laughing? Eris!”

 

Eris stopped abrubtly, almost making him run into her.

 

“Hey, what's wrong?”

 

“You called me `Eris'.”

 

“Ah…I'm sorry?”

 

She looked up and gave a grin. He relaxed.

 

“It's ok, just that no one ever calls me that except my parents.”

 

They looked at each other for a few seconds. Then she started laughing again.

 

“You're very good at driving people insane, you know that?”

 

“I'm sorry, you just look ridiculous like that!”

 

He examined himself, noting the too short sleeves and the hem only coming to his navel. Laughing, he scratched the back of his head.

 

“I suppose I do!”

 

Eris snickered and grabbed his wrist. “Come on you, we better get home before you really attract attention. Or freeze to death. Which ever comes first. Oh, and thanks for the compliment earlier.”

 

“Compliment?”

 

“Yeah, the driving people insane thing. I was worried that skill wasn't developing the way I had hoped.”

 

I really like his laugh. He doesn't do that enough in the show. If this is really him that is.

 

“Do you walk home everyday?” he asked, looking at a few kids he remembered in their cars as they went by.

 

“And to school in the morning. Unless I'm late. Then mommy drives. Which was the case this morning sans the mommy driving part.”

 

“I see. Are you late a lot?”

 

They crossed the street, waving thanks to the waiting cars and patted the happy go lucky dog hopping up and down behind the fence.

 

“Hey Spike! And yes, I am, I guess.”

 

“And why's that?”

 

She shrugged. “Sleep is good. And homeroom pretty much useless.”

 

Cutting through a gravel parking lot, they waited patiently for a train to pass.

 

“Why don't you drive yourself like everyone else?” he said over the clanking and thunder of the train.

 

“Damn you ask a lot of questions. Well, number one, I have neither my permit nor my license. Two: It'd be a waste of gas. Three: I'd have to sacrifice sleep to get a good parking space, no way in hell that'll ever happen, and four,” she lowered her voice as the caboose went by. “I don't like doing what everyone else does.”

 

“Understandable. I've noticed you're quite unlike anyone I've met so far.”

 

“Thanks. I guess. Watch out for that hole, snakes like to hibernate in it. They should be waking up soon.”

 

She grinned at the slight look of alarm in his eyes, and started walking backwards, bowing forward as a low tree branch came into perimeter. He stepped around said hole looking with disdain at it out of the corner of his eyes.

 

“Just kidding.”

 

He picked up a pinecone and threw it at her. She didn't bother to dodge and laughed.

 

“Come on Shuichi!” she stressed his name, her eyes glinting mischievously. “I know for a fact you can throw harder than that!”

 

He quirked a brow.

 

“Oh do you?”

 

He picked up another, larger, one. Testing its weight in his hand, mimicking her smile.

 

“Bring it on, meat!” Eris shot out and took off running for her house.

 

Shuichi wasn't far behind. Not far at all. In fact he was so close, he could have whispered in her ear. He thought about throwing the cone at her and proudly prove her right, then decided against it and see just how fast this human could go.

 

“I'm going to win!” he whispered in her ear and smirked as she looked at him, startled. She pushed her self harder, gaining more momentum and narrowing her eyes against the onrushing wind. She could see the blue trim of her house just a block away.

 

Shuichi slowed to a stop and watched with amusement as Eris sped away, reaching what must have been her house and race up the few stone steps to the porch.

 

I thought so.

 

“Aha!! In your face!” she called out to him. Then she proceeded to fall against the door and wait for her breathing to return to normal. Not mention the stitch in her side to stop slicing into her.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

She opened her eyes and grinned as she panted. “You really gotta stop asking me that. I'm not a porcelain doll, y'know. What're you so happy looking for?”

 

Shuichi shrugged, smiled, and went up the stairs to stand in front of her. Eris narrowed her eyes.

 

“What're you—”

 

The pinecone bounced off her forehead, landing with a thud on the wooden porch floor. Eris blinked dumbly, stared it, and then back to him.

 

“I hate you.”