Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Realistic Fiction ❯ Any More Questions? ( Chapter 5 )

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

I sighed as I leisurely lay back in the tree. “Oh, yeah. This is the life. Lounging in a comfortable tree while waiting for your friends to return from kicking evil ass.†I grinned. “And all the time in the world to talk to myself, with no one to give me weird looks.†I frowned. “Too bad, ne? I take pride in those weird looks... Ah, well. I talk to myself the most when I am alone, anyway. Why am I talking to myself in Japanese? Hm. Maybe because some guy that might as well be a psycho serial killer is eavesdropping, and it would be quite amusing indeed to freak him out.â€
I paused, as if waiting for the aforementioned psycho to suddenly pop up. He didn’t. Unsure if I was relieved or disappointed, I settled for indifference. “Fine. Be that way, you psycho serial killer. See if I care.†I had the feeling that I was being watched, though by whom, I didn’t know. Regardless, it would be fun to mess with his head. He wouldn’t be able to tell if I knew he was there or not. Quite frankly, I was wondering the same thing, considering the fact that my intuition concerning my surroundings was only right about three-fourths of the time.
“Well, whatever. No harm in having a little fun, ne? Unless, of course, the fun directly involves harm, but that really does not count. ...Unless, of course, I am the one inflicting that harm, in which case we find a loophole within a loophole. Yay, loopholes!â€
My ears heard nothing noteworthy, but I could practically feel someone chuckling. After all, I had a thing for making people laugh, so why not have a special sixth sense dedicated entirely to humor? This sense was almost as strong as my danger sense, and, needless to say, I used it to my advantage. In this particular case, the subject’s mental laughing gave him away, and I had a feeling I knew who it was, but I wasn’t going to say anything just yet. I would mess with his mind a little more first.
“Aya-chan is happy that Kitsune taught her the Japanese word for doom! Doom is such a fun word. Doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom. ...I think I shall translate the Doom Song into Italian! I mean, Japanese! I don’t know Italian. Why did I say Italian?†And I then proceeded to sing the doom song, if one could consider it singing. It was really more like cheerfully chanting with vague pitches and no tune or rhythm whatsoever. I did so love the doom song.
I could practically hear the eavesdropper dancing somewhere in between amusement, confusion, and slight fear. I stopped singing and grinned. I had him where I wanted.
“You know, just for fun, I shall scream as loudly as I can. It is a good thing,†I added loudly and pointedly, “that no one is around to hear me, because they would loose their hearing!â€
I could almost hear the cringe.
“Or, maybe I shall not.â€
I could nearly hear his relief.
“Instead, I shall do this!†I hummed to myself as I pulled a face mask out of one of my many pockets and put it on. I then extracted from the same pocket a (black) bandanna and tied it around my head so that it would cover my nose and mouth. Still humming, I pulled my (also black) t-shirt over my nose. Lastly, I reached into another pocket, and retrieved a (also black, this time with flame decals licking the sides) lighter, and something small and round with a wick. “(Aw, guess I can’t warn them, huh? I don’t know the Japanese word for stink bomb! Oh well!)â€
I hummed.
I climbed down.
I kept humming.
I carefully set it down in wet patch of ground, making sure the wick was on top.
I continued to hum.
I lit the wick.
I was still humming.
I climbed back up.
I stopped humming and grinned maliciously.
Some sort of gas filled the clearing.
I could hear a distinct choking sound coming from my left.
I resumed my humming.
I could feel his glare boring into my skull. Whoever had been spying on me was obviously not very happy. “Don't worry; it will dissipate quickly. When it does, I would greatly appreciate it if you would show yourself. I don’t believe we have been properly introduced.†The smoke cleared in a minute or so and I hopped down from my perch. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing as I saw a tall, dark shadow of a figure among the trees.
“I didn’t greatly appreciate that,†came a voice. I was right: it was my less-annoying stalker from earlier. Ah, revenge is sweet.
I shrugged. “You had it coming to you. You’re lucky I’m nonviolent.â€
“Oh, so you assume you could hurt me? That’s awful presumptuous.â€
“It is.â€
“You realize I could probably kill you with my little finger?â€
“Yes!†I beamed cheerfully at the shadow.
“I honestly don’t know whether to be angry or amused.†I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Well, it would certainly be in my better interest if you were amused, so that’s what I suggest.â€
There was a light laugh. “Might as well, ne? Besides, it’s not my style to go around killing defenseless human girls.â€
“That is definitely a good thing on my part.â€
I could tell he was grinning again. “Yup. Well, you wanted me to show myself, ne?â€
“Yes. I prefer speaking face to face, rather than face to shadow.†He stepped out. “Or, in this case, face to chest.â€
I discreetly (or at least, I hoped it was discreet) studied him. He was tall, clad in black and white, and his features could probably best be described as roguish. His hair was long, and in a high ponytail, and he had... bat wings. I barely resisted the urge to shout, “Batman!â€
“So, I couldn’t help but wonder, what’s a defenseless human girl doing in the Makai? In a forest with many plants that would not hesitate to kill you?â€
“I don’t need to worry about the plants, because I have a friend that they sort of listen to. As for why I’m here, I’m waiting for my friends to return from their mission.â€
“Mission?â€
“Yes. They are spirit detectives.â€
Before I had time to blink, he had a familiar scythe at my throat. “Spirit detectives, eh?â€
“I wasn’t really listening when they went over the mission, though,†I added calmly, as if I didn’t have a very sharp object uncomfortably close to my jugular.
He ignored my comment. “Why would you think I would let you live?â€
“Because you love me?â€
He rolled his eyes. “Give me one good reason to not kill you.â€
“Give me one good reason to kill me,†I countered.
His eyes narrowed. “Ever heard of guilt by association?â€
“Ever heard of four very angry guys seeking revenge? It would not be in your best interest to kill me. You would gain nothing except a price on your head.â€
“I already have a price on my head.â€
“Is that so? Then I suppose you’re desperate to alert them to your presence?â€
“You have a point.†He frowned, and slowly removed the scythe and backed away. “You will not speak a word about me.â€
“Okay. I wasn’t going to, anyway. Gyuh.†I rubbed my neck. “I would say that I looked Death in the eye, but Death’s eyes are nothing like yours.â€
He raised an eyebrow, bordering on amusement. “Oh?â€
“Death’ s eyes are pink.â€
“Really?â€
“Yeah. She’s really a cute girl; very perky, and somewhat of a ditz.â€
“Mm.â€
“Her name is Botan.â€
“I see.â€
“You know,†I said suddenly, changing the subject, “we never did get properly introduced.†I bowed. “I am Aya.â€
His smirk returned. “Kuronue.â€
I blinked. “Could... you... repeat that, please...?â€
He gave me an odd look. “Kuronue.â€
“Ano, again?â€
He rolled his eyes. “Let me spell it out for you. KU-RO-NU-E.â€
“No way.†I looked at him again. “I thought he looked familiar. Do you mean, the Kuronue? The thief?â€
He smirked at my expression. “Heard of me, have you?â€
“...You could say that...†I frowned. “Ano, I do not mean to be rude... but... I thought you were dead.â€
“Last time I checked, I was alive. Where’d you get that idea?â€
“...A friend... that sort of witnessed your death.†Actually, the second Yu Yu Hakusho movie, but he didn’t need to know that.
“And who is this friend?â€
I shook my head. “Does bamboo mean anything to you?â€
“Well, it’s a plant... pandas eat it.â€
“I mean, does it give you any odd feelings.â€
His eyebrows knit together. “Now that you mention it, it does make me shiver a little. Huh, how odd.â€
“Not as odd as the fact that you are alive.†I pinched the bridge of my nose. “It was bamboo trap that killed you. Pierced a major artery, or something like that.â€
“Wouldn’t I remember this incident?â€
“You should, unless your memory was tampered with. I do believe you and Youko Kurama were on some heist, to get a mirror thing, I think, and as you were escaping, you dropped your pendant, and went back to get it, and... yeah. Bamboo trap go bang. You go splurg.â€
He frowned thoughtfully. “I remember up to when I went back to get my pendant... Wait, how’d you know about my pendant?â€
“Same friend. Continue.â€
“Everything is fuzzy after that.â€
“Well, what’s the next thing you remember?â€
“I was in a box thing, in a tomb-like place... then I came outside, and was in the forest, near our hideout. Kurama was nowhere to be found.â€
“How long ago was this?â€
“I don’t know, maybe a month? I’ve been looking for Kurama ever since.†He suddenly glanced at me suspiciously. “Why are you asking me this, and who is this friend?â€
“Long story...â€
“I’ve got time.†He was giving me a look that was clearly an order to tell him.
I sighed. “Well, I guess I will start at the beginning, which is not long before I was born. About seventeen years ago. I don’t know the details, but Youko Kurama was badly injured by a bounty hunter. He went into soul form, or something like that, and escaped to the human world. He was too weak to do much, so the only way he could survive was to enter an unborn human child before it got its own soul. When he was ten, his powers would return, and he planned to leave then. But something happened, and again, I do not know the details, but he grew to love his human mother, and didn’t want to leave her, especially after her husband died. His human body is now seventeen.â€
I glanced at Kuronue. His face was blank. I looked away and continued. “When his human body was fifteen, there was this boy, fourteen. He was an obnoxious punk, and still is.â€
“Wait, what does this have to do with Kurama?â€
“Everything. It’s rude to interrupt. Anyway, this guy, his name is Yusuke, was, and still is, the toughest punk around. Remember, this is in the human world, so he had not run into any demons yet. Anyway, he got hit by a car when trying to save a little kid and died. He’s a real jerk, but has a soft spot for kids. He wasn’t supposed to die just yet, though, and the Reikai didn’t have a place for him, so he hung around as a ghost for a while. Eventually, he went back into his body, but he was in a debt, of sorts. He had to become a spirit detective.â€
“Is this one of those friends you were talking about?â€
“Yes. He actually caught his first escaped convict without even trying. It was almost an accident- he had no clue what was going on, but he saw a little imp thing and caught it because it had possessed someone and made him do bad things. He had not been trained in any way yet, and he probably didn’t even know demons existed before that. He found it a little weird, but didn’t think too much about it, because he does not think too much about anything. He does not think too much at all, in fact. But Yusuke is just like that.
“Meanwhile, Kurama’s human mother got terribly sick. She probably wouldn’t live. So, with two other demons, one being an annoying, soul-eating demon, a weakling in comparison. I don’t think he was very well liked. The other was Hiei, who comes in later. Anyway, they stole these three artifacts from the Reikai vault, each for their own reasons: Gouki wanted the Orb of Baas because it would make soul-eating much easier. I think Hiei wanted the Conjuring Blade mostly to wreak havoc in the human world- as he put it, ‘perpetuate some delicious nastiness.’ Kurama wanted the Forlorn Hope to save his mother. Yusuke beat Gouki, and barely beat Hiei, who was in mid B-class at that time. His only training at this point was a thirty-second lesson from Koenma on how to use the Rei Gun.
“Kurama, on the other hand, did not want to fight Yusuke. He told him what was going on just before using the Forlorn Hope. At the last minute, as the mirror was taking his life, Yusuke jumped in without thinking, as always, and told the mirror to take some of his life, instead, so that it wouldn’t take all of Kurama’s. He had seen his mother mourning his own death, and didn’t want Kurama’s mother to have to do the same, without him coming back from the dead afterward. As he put it, ‘No woman should have to suffer such agony.’ Yeah, Yusuke is a jerk and an idiot, but a good person when you get right down to it. The mirror was touched at this, so they both survived. Now, how a mirror’s nonexistent heart could be touched is beyond me, but whatever.
“Kurama and Hiei, in lieu of prison, had to become spirit detectives as well. I suppose you could call it community service. The fourth guy, a human called Kuwabara, was never officially made to be a detective, but just tagged along all the time anyway, because he felt it was his duty. He’s also an idiot, but he has a strong honor code and sense of ethics, and for that, I respect him. I think he is the weakest on the team, but when you think about it, it’s actually amazing. There’s really nothing too special about him, yet he is perhaps one of the strongest humans alive. After all, as it turns out, Yusuke has some demon blood, and therefore has an unfair advantage, so he doesn’t count. That, and he has been personally trained by Genkai, one of the top five reiki masters.
“And that is my short summary.â€
Kuronue just stared.
“Any questions?â€
“Wait, you said this all started seventeen years ago, but I was with Kurama just a little while ago.â€
“Yes. I am thinking that, perhaps, you were dead during those seventeen years.â€
“And came back to life?†he suggested somewhat sarcastically.
“Yeah. My best guess is that you were somehow resurrected.â€
“Oh, yeah? Who the hell would want to resurrect me, and why?â€
“Well, there is a suspect that came to mind,†I said, sweatdropping.
“Who?â€
“Her name is Misako.â€
He briefly looked panicked, then twitched and turned blank. “I don’t think I know her.â€
“I did not expect you to.â€
“What would be her motive?â€
“That’s the thing,†I said, somewhat awkwardly. “It’s more than likely that she does not have one.â€
“Then what makes you think she’s behind this? Bringing people back from the dead is not exactly an easy thing to do, you know! It takes very strong magic and an incredible amount of power! Why would she go to all that trouble if she had no good reason?â€
“She was probably bored.â€
Kuronue looked at me incredulously. “Bored?â€
I scratched the back of my neck. “Misako is not the type to bother with reasons to stir up trouble. Every other time she did odd like this before, her only excuse was boredom. She is not exactly a perfect example of of mental stability, as Kurama put it. As Yusuke put it, she’s crazy. What she lacks in sanity, however, she makes up for in power.†I laughed. “I rather like her, myself. The Reikai does not share my opinion. The main problem is that her favorite amusements are not usually legal.â€
“I can identify with that last part,†said Kuronue thoughtfully.
“My second guess would be Karasu coming back to life for no apparent reason, confusing everyone, then causing mischief, also for no apparent reason, confusing everyone again.â€
“Karasu?â€
“Yes. Very strange man. Had a thing for Kurama’s hair, and tried to kill him because he apparently had a major crush on him. I do believe, in fact, that Karasu succeeded in actually creeping him out. A lot. He also liked to make things explode.â€
“...Okay then...†Suddenly Kuronue tensed.
“What is it?â€
“Four strong energies, approaching from the northeast.â€
“...And which way is northeast?â€
He rolled his eyes and pointed. “That way.â€
“Oh. Hey, that’s the way my friends went. It’s probably them. So, what are you going to do?â€
He frowned. “I don’t know. It’s kind of an awkward situation.â€
“That it is,†I agreed. “About how far away are they?â€
“I’d say about a hundred twenty meters.â€
“Mm.†I nodded. “Well, I’m going to call out to them. Shall I alert them to your presence?â€
He thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Not yet.â€
I nodded again, then cupped my hands to my mouth. “Cover your ears. OI!â€
“oi!†I heard Yusuke’s voice, faint but clear. “that you, aya?â€
“YES!â€
“what the hell are you doing in the makai?â€
“Oh, yeah... Eheheh.†At Kuronue’s questioning gaze, I explained. “They don’t exactly know I’m here.â€
“Again?â€
“well?â € came Yusuke’s voice again.
“SIGHTSEEING?†I suggested.
There was a short silence during which I smiled somewhat nervously. Then, “you had damn well come up with a better answer before we get over there!â€
“Eheheh.â€
There was another pause, then, “kurama wants to know how you got here!â€
“WHY ARE YOU THE ONLY ONE YELLING?â€
“kuwabara ain’t feeling too good, and seriously, can you picture mister dignified or mister antisocial yelling like this?â€
“NO, NOT REALLY. I’LL EXPLAIN WHEN YOU GET HERE, LEST I ENDANGER MY VOICE.â€
“you’ve really been spending too much time around kurama if you’re talking like that now!â€
“I TALK THIS WAY IN ENGLISH, TOO, ONLY MORESO!â€
“whatever. shorty’s whining- ow! okay! not whining-that my voice is getting on his nerves, so we’ll talk later!â€
“GOOD! YOUR VOICE IS GETTING ON MY NERVES, AS WELL!â€
“shut up and save your insults for later!â€
“I DON’T KNOWI HAVE A LOT!â€
“oh, shut up!â€
I snickered, and Kuronue raised an eyebrow. “This is how you treat a guy who beat a mid B-class demon at fourteen as a human with practically no training?â€
“Yeah.â€
“I see.â€
“That was actually two years ago. Now, he’s basically a warlord. One of the three rulers of the Makai, in fact. Last time I checked, he was undefeated.†I thought a moment. “That might have something to do with the fact that the last time I checked, he was alive. Actually,†I added thoughtfully, “he DID die. Twice. But the first time, he was not supposed to die, and the second time, he turned demon. Woke up the Mazoku in him or something.†I chuckled. “Quite an amazing group of people, the Reikai Tantei. But don’t tell them I said that. I don’t generally go around handing out compliments like candy. No, come to think of it, I give out compliments in the same way I give out candy: I don’t. If I have candy, it’s my candy, damnit.â€
Kuronue seemed amused by this. We stood like that for a while: me leaning against the tree, Kuronue standing about two meters to my right.
“They’re probably pretty close by now,†I said, more seriously, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.
He nodded.
“They have probably noticed your presence.â€
He nodded again.
“Hiei-san will probably get here first.†Kuronue seemed to be biting back a smile. “What?â€
“You’ re right,†said a voice above me.
“YAA!†I jumped nearly three feet in the air, my head luckily avoiding any branches. I looked up at Hiei, who stood on the very limb on which I had been resting earlier, and glared. “Damn it, Hiei, what did I say about sneaking up on me like that?â€
“Hn.†Hiei smirked. “It’s your own fault for letting your guard down, especially in the Makai.†His face then returned to its usual glower as he turned to Kuronue. “Who’s this.†It was more of a demand than a question.
“My fiancé,†was my immediate and random reply.
“What?†exclaimed both demons at the same time.
“Ignore that. It popped out of nowhere.â€
At that moment, the remaining three walked into the clearing. Kuwabara was pretty much out of it as he slumped against a tree. Yusuke appeared cautious and curious, and to say that Kurama looked shocked would be an understatement.
“K... K...â€
“I’ve never known you to stutter, Kitsune,†commented Hiei.
“K... Kuronue?†Realization dawned on Hiei’s face as he heard the name. This was Kurama’s old friend and partner.
“Kurama? You certainly look different.â€
“Kuronue, is that really you?â€
“The one and only.â€
He frowned. “I’ve been tricked before, and I have no intention of being tricked again. Show me proof.â€
Kuronue raised an eyebrow. “Proof? Well, I suppose I could remind you of that one incident, involving the duck, or that stupid brat, or that thing at the lake when you were drunk, or the thing with the fairy, or the time you dressed like a-â€
“Okay, okay. I think that’s enough convincing.â€
Kuronue smirked. “You just don’t want me to tell them about-â€
“Yes, you’re Kuronue, all right.â€
Yusuke raised an eyebrow. “Kurama? Drunk?â€
“Heh, yeah. You should’ve seen the sort of stuff he did. Like this one time, he was on the bar singing an opera he apparently wrote himself, right there on the spot. I don’t know where the hell he learned Italian-†Here I thought vaguely that maybe I could translate the Doom Song into Italian, after all. “-but it wasn’t half bad, really. And then that other time, he somehow got it in his head that he was a penguin-â€
By the time Kurama had firmly clamped his hand over Kuronue’s mouth, Yusuke and I were cracking up and Hiei was obviously having a hard time not laughing. “That is definitely enough convincing, Kuronue. And bear in mind,†he added sneakily as he removed his hand, “that for everything you have on me, I have something on you. For example, I’m sure they would be quite amused if I told them about the various occasions when you experimented with cooking.â€
Kuronue’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.â€
“Care to test that theory?†Kuronue shut his mouth and shook his head. “I didn’t think so.â€
I smiled to myself, happy about the reunion. That, and they seemed to have forgotten about...
“So, Aya,†said Yusuke. “About, you know, you being here.â€
“Damn.â€
Kurama gave me a stern look while Kuronue just looked amused. I made a mental note that perhaps I should get used to that. “We told you not to follow us. It’s dangerous- you know that.â€
“And that’s why I do it. I get freaking bored, you know.â€
The kitsune sighed and massaged his temple. “How did you get here this time?â€
“Same way you did. Hopped through the portal.â€
“You could see it?â€
“No, but I kinda figured out where it was by the way you all just disappeared.â€
“What I wanna know,†Kuronue cut in, “is why you couldn’t tell she was there.â€
“Yes, we’d like to know, too,†said Hiei, somewhat nastily. The four guys stared at me expectantly.
“What?†I whined.
Kurama’s eyes bore through my skull as he spoke. “How is it that you keep slipping past our senses, Aya?â€
“Yeah, we’d notice if you were special or something,†stated Yusuke bluntly.
I sighed and shrugged. “It’s just this thing. If I don’t want to be found, I’m not. I mean, obviously I have to actively hide, as well, but... It’s always been like that. I used to play hide and seek as a kid, you know. I’d always eventually stop willing myself to remain unseen after a while, just to make things interesting. Still do, in fact, if I’m hiding for whatever reasons and I start to get bored. Just one of those things, you know?†I shrugged again. “You know when you caught me? Last time? That was Kuronue’s fault.â€
Yusuke pondered this. “You know, that could really come in handy.â€
Kurama sighed. “Yusuke, please...â€
“She could be like a spy or something,†he continued.
I grinned. “Cool. Sure thing, so long as it doesn’t interrupt my sleep and playtime.â€
“I bet that could be arranged.â€
“No!†We both turned to Kurama, who was, again, massaging his temple. “No, Aya will not be a spy. We are not going to use Aya’s sneaking skills to our advantage-â€
“With training,†Kuronue cut in, “we could probably make you into a decent thief.â€
“Kuronue, you’re not helping...â€
“Hey, yeah,†agreed Yusuke, nodding. “But then I might have to hunt her down and throw her in jail or something.â€
“Would a simple human thief in the Ningenkai really be under the Reikai’s jurisdiction?†I wondered aloud.
“No,†answered an impish Kuronue.
“You’ve got a point there,†said Yusuke, nodding again.
“We will not train Aya to be a thief!†exclaimed Kurama, clearly trying not to yell.
I giggled lightly and meandered over to him to place a not-very-reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Aw, don’t worry, Kitsune. That would take work.†With my other hand, I conspiratorially held a finger to my mouth. “As a spy, on the other hand, I could just hang out in dark corners and stuff, right? You know, lurk. I could do that, if they payed me well enough. Lurking is easy.â€
Yusuke grinned, giving me a thumbs-up. “That’s the spirit!â€
I felt Kurama’s incredulous gaze. “Aya!â€
I turned my head back to face him, wearing a smile so sweet it was obviously fake, and reeked of mischief. “Yeeeeeeesss, my dear kitsune?â€
“You can’t possibly be seriously considering this!â€
“I don’t know, Kitsune. If the pay’s good, well... money is money.†My eye twitched at his expression just before I started cracked up, half-supporting myself on his shoulder. “Oh, honestly, Kurama. You never struck me as the gullible type. You should’ve seen yourself. A real Kodak moment, I tell you.â€
He finally gave in to a groan. “Let’s just go to Genkai’s. Maybe she’ll know what to do with Kuronue.â€
“Why, Kurama, I’m wounded,†said Kuronue dramatically, holding his hand over his heart.
He just shook his head and took out the communicator to contact Botan, so that she could create a portal back to the Ningenkai. She worked quickly, and in no more than a minute and a half, she had one up and running, just waiting to take us to the old psychic's temple.
Yusuke flopped a near-unconscious Kuwabara over his shoulder, and we hopped into the pretty swirls and came out the other end at the bottom of the steps leading to the dojo. Exciting, ne?
We walked up the steps in semi-silence. It took a while. I was dead last to reach the top, panting exaggeratedly to make everyone feel so horrible that they refused to carry me. I don’t think it worked, as they just rolled their eyes in near unison and continued forward. I stood up strait, as I really wasn’t all that tired, and stuck my tongue out at the boys’ retreating backs before noticing Hiei was not among them.
“Aya.â€
“YAH!†I shrieked and whirled around to see a short demon clad in black with a slight smirk on his face. Oh, there he is. Hi, Hiei. “Don’t do that!â€
He shrugged and walked past me, glancing back slightly. “Hurry up.â€
I then stuck my tongue out at his retreating back.
“Stop that.â€
Oh, yeah. Third eye. Lovely. I sighed and followed him. At least he was keeping a reasonable pace. It occurred to me that he was doing so for me. How sweet!
“It is not sweet. Now hurry up.â€
Damnit.
At some point, he glanced over his shoulder, somehow smirking with his eyes. “I really don’t know how Kurama can put up with you.â€
“He’s very patient.â€
“One of these days, girl, he’s going to snap. You’re going to drive him over the edge.â€
I laughed. “That would certainly be amusing. Kurama, loosing his cool. Heh.â€
“It probably wouldn’t be very amusing for you.â€
“Why not?â€
“When Shuichi looses his cool, guess who takes over.â€
Oh. “Oh.â€
“When that happens, I plan to have a front row seat to watch him annoy you right back... in his own way.â€
“Specify.â€
“Youâ& #8364;™re odd, and by nature, a kitsune is intrigued by odd things.†I chose to ignore that he sort of called me a thing. “And when Youko Kurama’s intrigued, he tends to get playful. You can probably figure it out from there.â€
I frowned slightly. “But what does he do when he’s feeling playful?â€
“Aside from stealing things? You’ll just have to wait and see.â€
“Ergh.†I knew he wasn’t going to tell me any more than that. “Now I know, though, so now I’m not going to try it.â€
“A lie. Now you’re intrigued, too. Sooner or later, whether it’s consciously or not, your curiosity will get the better of you.â€
I sent him a halfhearted glare. “You did that on purpose.â€
“Bravo for figuring that out,†he said sarcastically. “You’re not the only one to seek amusement.â€
I sighed, relenting. “I’d do the same thing, in Hiei-san’s position. Well, whenever it happens, if, and only if, it will, I hope Hiei-san has fun.â€
“Oh, I will. I’m sure it will prove to be interesting.â€
Then we reached the temple, where the others were waiting for us.
Wow, he timed that conversation perfectly, like he knew exactly how I would react. I internally scolded myself for being predictable, then decided to let the matter drop for the time being. I’d jump off that bridge when I came to it.