Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Fire Dancer ❯ Of Acorns and Anger ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any YYH stuff, sorry….

A/N: This chapter has my favorite line in it (and a bunch of my friends think it's funny too). I'll give anyone a cookie if they can figure out what it is ^_^

Thoughts

Fire Dancer

::Of Acorns and Anger::

“You'd think she'd be able to withstand one Spirit Gun, wouldn't you?” Yusuke asked as he propped his legs up on the kitchen table, but Botan quickly knocked them off with the swipe of her hand. Kuwabara snickered, but faltered when the Detective shot him a dangerous look.

“Her energy has been out of whack,” she explained as she separated the two, “Besides the fact that she nearly died moments after she fired her attack…”

“Yes,” Kurama cut in gently, “But what I want to know is how she knew to fire her Spirit Gun in the first place…none of us told her how to use it, right?”

The small group nodded along with Hiei's `hn'. They frowned, however, when no one confessed to telling her about the Spirit Gun technique…

Then how did she know?

Back in the bedroom, Mai winced as Genkai tightened the bandages around her abdomen.

“Damn, that hurts!!” she hissed when the woman had finished. The dancer quickly grabbed her blouse and slipped it over her head, frowning, though when she caught sight of the bloodied tear in the middle, “Well that's never coming out,” she concluded sadly.

“You're lucky none of your major organs were pierced,” Genkai told her as she packed up her first-aid supplies, “You wouldn't have been able to get out of bed for awhile…”

Mai nodded slowly and carefully planted her feet on the ground. She stared at the floor for awhile in a thoughtful silence, “…What's going to happen to me now?”

The woman studied her for a moment, “Your powers are beginning to surface, and they're growing rapidly…if you wish it, you may stay here and learn how to control them…”

Her face lit up slightly, “Would you do that?” she asked softly, but then looked away at the ground, “…Would you let me stay here?”

Genkai nodded, a half-hearted smile on her face, “Of course…but I'm afraid you'll have to train with the dimwit as well,” she said and gestured towards the kitchen.

The dancer grinned feebly, but it soon turned into a slight frown, “…he didn't seem to have been too excited with having me here…I didn't do anything to make him mad, did I?” She asked timidly.

The woman shook her head, “He lives on hot air, let's just leave it at that.”

She watched her for a moment longer before standing, her face burning red with a nervous blush, “So…I can stay?”

Genkai nodded once more, “I said yes, didn't I?”

Mai smiled weakly; her heart already settling into her newfound home.

-:-

Genkai and Mai returned to the kitchen a few minutes later to be greeted by the others. Botan—being her chipper self—was the first to extend her hand in a proper introduction. She was soon followed by Kuwabara, who nearly shoved the girl out of the way to grasp her hand. But Botan returned quickly and dragged the red-head away by the ear.

The dancer smiled kindly at the boy's awkwardness and her eyes fell on the second red-head standing against the wall.

He stepped forward and gave a brief bow before extending his hand also, “Sorry about all the confusion, Mai, but to set things finally straight, my name is Kurama,” he said with the very same smile he had given her a few days back. He gestured then towards the shorter boy standing in a corner, “And my dark and quiet counterpart here, is Hiei.”

Mai smiled gently, “Hello Hiei.”

The boy crossed his arms, “Hn,”

Yusuke folded him arms and leaned back in his chair. The dancer lowered her eyes from his angry glare. What did he have against her?

She held out her hand awkwardly, “Um…”

He snorted and turned his head way, “Fuck off.”

Mai tensed at his words. Yusuke didn't seem to notice her hurt and said nothing. The others stood in a nervous silence, until Botan stepped forward laughing nervously and trying to break the tension.

“Well then…Why don't we all just settle down for a little pot of tea, hm?” she said a little too over-enthusiastically.

The others agreed, but it was the dancer and the Detective who didn't reply. Mai just couldn't help wondering what he had against her…why he seemed so angry at her all the time…

She watched him discreetly out of the corner of her eye as she and the others sat around the table. But Urameshi seemed uninterested and stared out the window…but the girl just couldn't feel like he hated every bit of her…

-:-

The dancer sat alone in the spare bedroom atop of the bed, legs crossed Indian-style. She rested her face in the palms of her hands as she glanced solemnly out the window. The fading sunlight danced along the floor in front of her.

Kurama and Hiei had left for the evening, and Botan had gone to the supermarket leaving her with the two boys and Genkai. She could even hear them through the paper thin walls, especially Yusuke and Kuwabara talking in the living room. The dancer sighed. What did Urameshi have against her?

She breathed in heavily and rose from the bed. The girl stopped just before the door, however, when she heard Yusuke's angry conversation with the red-head.

“…I tell you, I'm not going to have some Spirit Guardian breathing down my neck!” The Spirit Detective grumbled.

“Urameshi, she's just trying to help—”

“I don't need her help!” the boy snapped, “She's just a stumbling black for me! She doesn't know shit about the Spirit World and demons, how helpful do you think she can be?!”

Mai bit her lip tenderly. Was this what he thought of her? That she was just a burden?

“All I wanted was a home,” she whispered to herself as she leaned up against the doorframe. She glanced towards the door as if expecting to see through it and at the two boys, “…Somewhere that I would belong…”

“She can go back to that rat-hole bookstore of hers…just not here…” Yusuke muttered darkly.

Angry tears welled up in the dancer's eyes and she clenched her fists angrily. The conversation continued in the other room, but she didn't listen to the rest. Her hand latched onto the handle quickly and flung open the door; passing through the living room without giving the pair enough time to stop their argument.

She didn't head for the front door, however, but changed her direction towards the back of the house.

Kuwabara and Yusuke sat in an unusual silence as the back door slammed shut.

“I think she heard you, Urameshi,” Kazuma muttered.

-:-

Yusuke grumbled angrily to himself as he trudged up the hill behind the house. He didn't understand why he had to go looking for her…it's not like it was his fault that she decided to eaves drop on them…

But then again, was he right in saying those things?

He snorted at his own question; of course he was; he meant every word of it…

Didn't he?

“Damn guilt,” he muttered as he continued up the hill. He stopped for a moment, though, and looked around the area. It felt odd that only a few months ago he had been here fighting Rando and all those other punks for Genkai's powers…

But it all seemed like a distant memory now.

Urameshi sighed as he made hit to the top of the slope. The marsh-like landscape opened up before him as trees lined the border. Small, muddy ponds dotted the swampy area as well as several dead trees.

As the Spirit Detective glanced around the once-battlefield, he caught sight of Mai centered in the middle. He watched as she spun between the ponds, her arms twirled around her elegantly.

Was she dancing even all the way out here?

Yusuke watched almost entranced as the girl moved nimbly over the marshy terrain. Her skirt flowed hypnotically whenever she lifted her legs in a pirouette. She seemed oblivious to the world; as if she could only see her steps and hear the sweet dance music.

Mai's creamy orange hair whirled around her face as her feet crossed in front of one another. She seemed to meld her very body into the imaginary music.

Urameshi shook his head, releasing himself of the spell, and shoved his hands into his pockets. The boy cautiously made his way across the clearing towards her, but she still didn't seem to notice him even as he grew closer.

“Why the hell are you dancing out here?” he grunted while trying not to sound interested.

But she continued to spin, never slowing down, “It helps clear my mind—if you must know,” she replied shortly as if hoping that her answer would make him go away.

But neither of them spoke for a moment as Mai finished up her dance; ending in an elegant pose. She sighed softly as she straightened her blouse and brushed her hair out of her face.

The girl watched the Detective closely, “Why are you here, Yusuke?” she demanded.

He went rigid at the question briefly before looking away towards the ground. He mumbled something incoherent, but didn't speak up.

Mai planted her feet in the ground, “Did you come to apologize?”

Urameshi stared at her; suddenly taken aback by her demanding tone. He frowned, though. What gave her the right to talk to him like that?!

He snorted as if it was amusing, “Hell no, they forced me to come and make amends with you,” he rolled his eyes, “Yeah, whatever…Let's just `be friends' so we can go back inside…”

The Guardian sent him an icy glare before storming off across the marsh-land. Yusuke quickly followed after her as she tried to put as much distance as possible between them, but unfortunately failed.

“Hey!” the boy grabbed her arm before she got too far, “What the hell is wrong with you—?!”

She ripped her limb away furiously, “Don't touch me, Urameshi!!” she ordered, “And don't you dare toy with my emotions…I don't need your shit, and if you don't want me here, then I'll leave and go back to my rat-hole!!” she snapped, “At least there I can call it `home'!!”

“You were never wanted here anyway!” he retorted, “I don't need a babysitter following me around constantly!!”

“Who said that I ever wanted to be here?!” she demanded, “Besides! If I was never wanted, why did you decide to help me against Ryu?!”

Yusuke snorted again, “I don't have any tolerance for demons; that bastard was no different…” he insisted, “…and if you couldn't hold your ground back there, you probably deserved to die!!”

But then he knew that he had gone too far. Angry tears filled her azure eyes and she clenched her fists at her side.

“Is that so?” she whispered, “I should have known…I was never wanted…”

His world was always black and white; demons were the enemy, and humans were the ones He was trying to protect…

Urameshi's brow furrowed, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Her angry blue orbs shot him a dirty look, “Why should you care?!” she snapped, “I don't need to tell you anything! So just butt out of my life!!”

Whoa, hormones...the Detective thought after a moment, “Well aren't I supposed to know if you're going to be my Guardian?”

Mai studied him carefully, her anger easing slightly, “Do you mean it?” she asked softly.

He laughed hollowly, “No—!”

The blow came so quickly that the air was nearly knocked out of him. A bright red welt burned along his cheek from where the girl had slapped him. Teardrops slid down her cheeks and plummeted to the ground from her chin.

Her Reiki level flared angrily as she took a shuddering, angry breath. “I said don't toy with my emotions, Urameshi…” she said darkly.

Yusuke stood in a silent shock as he fingered the sore along his cheek delicately. Damn, she was serious…

There was the sound of rustling leaves and he looked up just in time to see Mai disappear into the boughs of a nearby tree.

“Hey!” he shouted, “I'm not done talking to you!!”

“Well I'm sure as hell done talking to you!!” she roared back.

The Spirit Detective strode over to the base of the tree and stared up the trunk. She sat about fifteen or twenty feet up in the tree limbs, her legs hanging over the branches.

“Come down here!” he ordered.

“No!!” she barked and crossed her arms defiantly, “Gods, you're such a bastard, Yusuke!!”

He was about to reply furiously when a sharp pain raced thorough his skull as a small something struck him on the head (A/N: though, I'm not quite sure how he can feel it with all that gel and hair…). He rubbed his scalp tenderly before jerking his attention back to the dancer, “What the hell was that?!” he roared.

“It was an acorn, dumbass!!” she retorted angrily and threw him a dirty look. The Detective scowled furiously and folded him arms.

“Don't make me come up there!!” he warned and made a move to leap up onto one of the branches. But a sudden shower of acorns prevented him from doing so, “Ow! Ow! Dammit!! Stop it!”

“Go away, Urameshi!!” the girl barked and lifted herself several feet higher onto another branch. Yusuke scowled and muttered several dark profanities under his breath before jumping up onto the lowest limb. Mai watched him struggle up the tree in dry amusement. Several times the boy lost his hold and stumbled down the tree.

After a few minutes of this, the dancer sighed in frustration, “What the hell is wrong with you? Why won't you just leave me alone?!”

“Because,” he grunted and lifted himself higher up the trunk, “You're a stuck up bitch…”

Mai rolled her eyes and rested her back against the bark, folding her arms, Yeah, that's a great reason…She glared angrily through the leaves and listened as Urameshi clambered up the tree, Let him come, though…she through crossly and cracked her knuckles simultaneously, I'll give him something to think about…

She could hear him nearly directly below her now and rolled her head so she could see him. She cocked an eyebrow, though. You'd think for him, this wouldn't be that hard.

They were now about twenty five or thirty feet into the air, now but it didn't seem to bother her, m or the detective, seeing that he didn't even notice.

It took another minute or so before Yusuke raised himself to the branch beside her. He took a few seconds to rest before he swung his legs over the limb and glared at the Guardian angrily.

“Now tell me, what the hell is wrong with you?!” he demanded furiously, “Why are you so pissed off at me?”

The girl gaped at him, “Don't flatter yourself, Urameshi—this hardly has anything to do with you!”

“Then what's it all about?!”

Mai crossed her arms and turned her head away with frustration, “It's none of your business…” she muttered darkly.

Yusuke growled angrily; now he was getting annoyed. First, she seemed angry that he didn't care, and now she was mad when he wanted to know!

“Fine, whatever!!” he sighed and started to descend once more down the tree.

And he was almost out of her sight, before she sighed and stared glumly down at her hands. “Do you really want to know, Yusuke…?” she asked quietly before he was able to leave entirely.

The Spirit Detective froze slightly and glanced back up at her, “If it will get you to stop acting so pissed off…” he grumbled.

She sent him another glare, but it was definitely not nearly as severe as her others. The girl waited for him to reseat himself on the branch before studying him almost tearfully. Her hands wrung her skirt nervously.

“I never had a home,” she whispered, “…No one seemed to want me…

“I…I don't know what happened. I never knew my parents…whether or not I had any siblings, even if I had a dog…” she stared distantly through the leaves, “I was always alone; for as long as I can remember there was no one.”

“Oh great,” the detective mumbled, “Another sap story—.”

“Do you want to hear it or not?!” she snapped; her patience thinning considerably, “Gods, you're such an asshole,” she muttered as an add-on. She waited, though another moment before continuing.

“I was always alone…”

-:-

A/N: sorry I had to cut this short, guys:

For one: This chapter is getting too long

But did anyone guess kitkat's favorite line?? If you didn't, it was when Mai and Yusuke were yelling at one another:

“It's an acorn, dumbass!!” ^_^