Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Love Me, Hate Me, Just Don’t Let Me Fall ❯ Not So Joyful Effects ( Chapter 13 )

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"Oh." His explanation was enough to satisfy Botan. They fell silence as they continued on their way to Ningenkai.

Love Me, Hate Me, Just Don't Let Me Fall

Chapter 13: Not So Joyful Effects

Shizuru, Kurama, and Touya soon arrived at Shizuru's old elementary school playground. It was empty of children, being a Saturday, so they didn't have to worry about anyone overhearing their conversation.

Kurama, leaning against the ladder of a slide, began the conversation by asking, "Would you like help finding someone for Koenma?" Touya nodded. "Who do we know that's a single, very independent, can hold her own in an argument with a god, knows a good amount of information about Reikai and Koenma, and looks at least halfway decent?"

Pointedly, Kurama and Touya stared at Shizuru.

"Nani?! ME?!"

Touya looked her over. "Yes, you'd be perfect! You can keep Koenma in line! You can help run Reikai! Yes, it would be perfect!"

"No way! I am not about to date a two-feet tall toddler!"

"Shizuru, he's right. You would be perfect for Koenma," Kurama told her.

"I refuse to marry a god who's still in love with his ferry girl!"

"He'll get over it, especially if you help him forget about her."

"NO!"

"Please?" Touya asked.

Shizuru shook her head. "No way in the three worlds!"

"Just go on a date with him? One date?"

"Come on, Shizuru, just one date to see if you like him. Then we'll leave you alone."

"NO! NO, NO, and NO!"

"Look, Shizuru, if you don't go out with Koenma, then I'm probably never going to find someone for him. If I don't find someone, then Botan isn't going to talk Hiei into letting me date Yukina. I WILL NOT GIVE UP YUKINA BECAUSE YOU ARE BEING A STUBBORN BRAT!"

Shizuru put her hands over her ears and shut her eyes. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! LALALALALALALALAAAA!!!"

Kurama sweat dropped and Touya sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. Kurama pulled Touya away from the still humming Shizuru. "Let me handle this. I may know how to convince her. But you left Jin and the others at the mall alone. Perhaps, for the good of all things ningen, you should go check on them?"

Touya's eyes widened at the thought of all the destruction his friends could do. He had almost forgotten about them. "Hai!" Touya replied, and quickly began walking to the mall.

The clever fox watched his retreating form as he thought about what to do next. He was struck by an idea, and quickly walked close to Shizuru, who was still humming. He placed an arm around her shoulders, trying to be as nice as possible.

"Shizuru, dear, you're going to go on the date whether you like it or not. One date, that's all. And guess what? If you'd like, you can double date with Touya and Yukina. Sounds good, ne?"

Shizuru stopped humming and glared at the fox. "You want me to not only go on a date with a demigod with a pacifier, but double date with the idiot who forced me to do so in the first place? No thank you!"

"If you don't, I'll tell everyone your secret!"

"What secret?"

"You know, the secret!"

"Oh! You mean the secret so secret that nobody knows?"

"Yes, yes, of course!"

"The secret about me beating up the guy WHO FORCES PEOPLE TO DATE DEMIGOD TODDLERS?!"

"Uh... what if I went too?" Kurama offered, desperate to make her agree.

"You'll come too?"

"I guess I could..."

"...Okay, I could do that... I'll go on this ridiculous group date with Koenma, Touya, and Yukina if you tag along with your date. And you had best leave me alone after that!"

"Eh, I have to get a date? But... what about the," Kurama said as he looked around suspiciously and dropped his voice down to a whisper, "fangirls? They'll go insane... INSANE, I TELL YOU, INSANE!"

"Of course you have to get a date. You don't want to be the fifth wheel, after all," Shizuru answered with a smirk.

"But..."

"Kurama, dear, you're going to go on the date whether you like it or not," Shizuru repeated mockingly.

"Don't mock me!"

"You wouldn't have this problem if you had a girlfriend, or at least a crush!"

"I don't like anybody, and you know it!"

"Is it because you don't like girls? Is that why you refuse all of those fangirls day after day, even the ones willing to do anything at all for you?"

"...I like girls."

"Okay then! Prove it by finding a date!"

"...I hate you..."

"Ditto."

How had Shizuru managed to turn the situation around like this? Kurama realized there was no way to win against her. "I'll make the date as miserable for you as possible."

"I'm agreeing to date a toddler. I don't think it gets much worse than that."

"You'll regret this."

"If I have to go on a stupid date and be miserable, then I'm taking you down with me!"

"Oh, alright already! I'll go, I'll go! Just promise me this- don't alert the fangirls!"

Shizuru adopted a look of feigned innocence. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it."



Shortly after arriving in Ningenkai and discovering Kurama's whereabouts, thanks to Hiei's Jagan, Botan began to feel sick. Her stomach began feeling queasy, her head hurt, and her whole body seemed stiff and sore.

"Hiei... I don't feel well..." Botan moaned. Drowsiness began to overcome her, and she could hardly stay on her feet.

Hiei glanced at her, hoping that she would pull through at least until they met Kurama. He didn't want to have to deal with this right now. As Botan slowed, and eventually stopped altogether, walking, Hiei impatiently grabbed her by the hand and dragged her along.

"Hurry up, and quit complaining."

"Um... Hiei...?"

The fire demon's eyes were set ahead, and his thoughts were directed towards the primary goal of reaching Kurama before the pills did something to them. He growled irritably, "What do you want?"

"I... I think... I'm, uh, shrinking..." Botan said, her voice rapidly becoming higher pitched until it reached that of a child's.

Indeed, the hand Hiei had grabbed was becoming smaller. He glanced at the smaller version of Botan. She was much shorter and seemed to be the size of small ningen child, perhaps around six or seven years of age. Her clothes hung loosely about her and she had discarded her shoes, which kept on slipping off of her feet.

"I don't feel... good..." she groaned in her child-like voice. Suddenly, the drowsiness hit its climax and she slumped to the ground in a faint.

Hiei's eyes widened after seeing this. If this was the effect of Koenma's Joyful Pills, then his turn would come soon. If Hiei ran fast enough, he could probably reach the fox before he fainted as well. He could only hope the fox would know what to do to return them to normal.

Quickly, he grabbed Botan's unconscious body and began running towards his destination, immediately becoming nothing more than a black blur to the ningen eye. On the way, he was already becoming smaller and his clothes looser. His face seemed to lose years' worth of glaring and smirking, and his Jagan shrunk as well to fit his newly shaped head. Hiei ignored how ill he felt, his mind set on reaching the ningen playground that he knew the fox was at before he succumbed to the deep slumber that seemed to be calling out his name.

His determination paid off within a few minutes when he saw the playground and the familiar forms of Kurama and Shizuru. As soon as he reached their side, the fire demon dumped Botan on the ground in front of Shizuru and Kurama.

At the sight of their miniaturized friends, Shizuru let out an exclamation of surprise as Kurama asked, "Hiei?! What happened?" Their argument over the group date was completely forgotten and a temporary truce called.

As tired as he was, Hiei felt he had to tell them something and said drowsily, "Koenma forced us... Joyful Pills... Hn..........."

Those were the only words Hiei managed to get out before the sleepiness overcame him. His heavy eyelids finally closed and he hit the ground in a dead faint.