Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Street Smart Contest ❯ Judging Me ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own… hold it, ya know what I'm puttin' here `ight? Well then, how `bout a change in things `eh?

Claimer: I own all original characters, lyrics, songs, poems, plot for this story, and my own ideas. Now, everything else isn't mine. If ya need an exact list then fine, contact me and leave a review or somethin'.

````````````````````````````````````````````

Summary: “She knows the streets Ko-Enma, you can't argue that… So ya asked for someone who I thought could handle this and help your group- I brought her.”

One girl gets a chance to live again, but at the cost of helping Ko-Enma and the gang. She's not all for the idea, and the only reason she will agree to help is if she can get revenge on the person who helped her die. Well, what happens when that person is important to spirit world and double-crossing Ko-Enma as well? Chaos, that's what happens, bloody chaos.

````````````````````````````````````````````

Warnings: Rated R for language, light gore, violence, gang related material, sexual references and themes, insanity, suicide… come on ya'll it's R!!

````````````````````````````````````````````

Lyrics `thoughts' “speech” -telepathy- ***flashbacks and dreams***

`````````````````````````````````````````````

Street Smarts Contest

Chapter 3: Judging Me

``````````````````````````````````````````````

It was getting dark… Tia rolled out of the pallet she'd made in the floor out of instinct. She'd never needed an alarm, just a window. She stretched her arms up, popping her neck a few times and yawning. Golden eyes blinked and landed on the outline of a lamp on a dresser. It was one of the few pieces of furniture present in the house… Amazingly, her friend must have spent his money on everything besides things for the house… Most of the rooms had 1 lamp, 1 or 2 beds, 1 dresser, and that was all. The closets had no hangers, the kitchen was empty, the living room was bare, and the dining room had 1 table and 2 chairs… The basement… Well, there was no need to even think about it. Any way you look at it, Tia was going shopping.

The girl exhaled slowly, standing and turning on the lamp, and opening the window. Warm air blew in slowly. The night was coming and she was restless. She had instructed the boys to go to sleep a few hours after they had settled in. Hiei resisted and went `out', Kurama saw the sense in it, and Yusuke snorted but did it, and Kuwabara, well; the girl could hear him across the hall. Gold eyes rolled as she opened the dresser, pulled out a black sleeveless shirt, slipping it on she buttoned a few buttons around her chest, leaving the rest to be open and show skin. Next came a rather short dark red skirt and black heals and a touch of makeup all from her black bag. She might get a chance for a quick job… She needed money, less she used from her bank account, the better.

A quick shake of her head and the brown hair fell in place, and she walked to her door. The hallway was dark, with the exception of light coming from Kurama's chosen room… She snorted but padded past it and down the stars into the living room. The front door had a slight squeak in it she had noticed earlier… better to use the back door. Tia turned on heal, into the kitchen and had her hand on the back door. `Easy as hell ta sneak out on t'ese guys even in t'ese heals… I've got a lo' of work to do…'

“Going somewhere I take it?”

“Hm?” Tia turned around, keeping her right hand on the cold brass doorknob. Kurama stood in the dining room some one or so paces away. He sat in one of the chairs, a lamp at his right, dressed in light blue pj's, and a book in his hands.

 

Walking along the road alone

Dreaming of how my life used to be

So simple

Day to day

 

Tia shifted her weight to her right leg, tilting her hips slightly and pulled the corner of her mouth up in a slight grin. “I migh' be.”

Kurama's green eyes eyed the shirt and the skirt. Tia had the distinct idea she was being judged, and she didn't like it. She needed cash unless she broke out Marc's money…she was many things, but a thief of the dead wasn't one of them. “Tell me something,” green eyes drifted back to the book in his hand, but it was clear he wasn't reading. “You seem like an intelligent person, smart enough to accept the idea of there being more than what you see around you, you have an ability to see opportunity, so why resort to petty things?” Green… no, hell, emerald eyes landed on her face and Tia's throat tightened oddly, she didn't like it.

 

Never really plannin' ahead anyway

Just keeping my head on straight

But deep eyes call me- I'm caught

 

Tia's gold eyes narrowed. She crossed her arms, her hands curling into fists. There was no other way; this was all she knew… How could he not see that…? Normally passive gold eyes glinted faintly in the lamplight. The eyes closed, and she shook her head. “Isn't somethin' I ca' exp'ain very well. Bu', I got no choice at the momen'… Lit'le la'e for a change in careers.” Tia walked out the door, shaking an odd feeling from her shoulders… was it shame? Why should she be ashamed? So what she did every night wasn't morally correct, who cared? It got her money, to hell with what people thought. Tia shook her head and walked into the darkness, never before had she had any qualms with her work…

But the night offered some comfort, and soon her doubts settled as she came within sight of the center of the city with all the lights, the bars, the people, and the casinos… Gold eyes narrowed as she tried to locate a target for the evening.

 

And make me think things over

Whether I like it or not

 

Several blocks away Yusuke walked out of the room he and Kuwabara were sharing, and walked slowly down the stairs, making a beeline for the fridge. Brown eyes landed on Kurama reading and he blinked. “Hey there? Couldn't sleep or something?”

“No, just felt like reading actually…” The redhead fell silent for a moment, then closed the book and put it on the table and looked at Yusuke. “Tell me something, what do you think of Tia thus far?”

“Hm? Well, she seems okay…” Yusuke grinned and rubbed the back of his head, “Kinda hot actually…”

Kurama chuckled then sighed, “I get the feeling she isn't agreeing to this completely, nor, was she prepared for all of us staying here.” Green eyes blinked, then narrowed.

 

Welcome to the city of sin

You're here so walk on in

Throw away your worries

All that heavy care

 

The black-haired teen's face lost the grin and replaced it with an oddly aware look. “Well, no one strikes deals with the royal brat because they want to… So, she got killed and she's doing this to get her life back, what's wrong? You figure something out?”

“Only that there's more to it than I was aware of…”

“What makes you say that?”

Kurama crossed his arms, closing his eyes for a moment before looking to Yusuke again. “Tia seems to be quite able to take care of herself, how do you think she died?” It was a bluntly placed question, but Yusuke gave it some thought… Tia seemed able to take care of herself… Her movements weren't wasteful and spoke of a person who had grown up defending herself; in fact, she reminded Yusuke of one girl he had known a few years back… He shrugged.

“Whatever it was, I'm willing to bet it got a lot of lip before it was all done and over.” The grin was back for a split second, or until the idea came to mind that Kurama was giving the whole thing a lot of thought. “Well, maybe she was shot, or hit by a car,” Yusuke winced slightly at the thought, “Hell, I don't know. It could have been a lot of things… I just don't see why this is bothering you so much.”

Kurama was quiet, and then shrugged half-heartedly. “I'm not quite sure why it is either, Yusuke. I just have an idea, that there's something more going on here than a few demons…” Yusuke didn't like the fact Kurama was admitting that he was worried… He didn't like it at all.

 

Let the night-lights stroke you

Run its hand over you

Kiss you deep

And fill you full of that sweet, sweet lust

We all know somehow

 

Tia's eyes changed, as did her face, her smile, her walk, and every trace of emotion on her face. She went from tough girl to tease in a heartbeat. She'd found what she as looking for. Around 6 feet tall, stocky build, winning at blackjack, chips in front of him and judging from the necklace, ring, and earring, not that bad off at all. Tia was glad her work was going to be easy.

She strolled up to him, her eyes playful, her hands small and gentle as one rested on the man's left shoulder… “Hey there boy, luck goin' your way tonigh'?” Her accent wasn't as evident, though still detectable on certain words. She smiled coyly, shifting her hips as the man's gaze went from the 7 in his hand to her. At first he looked startled, then quickly smiled slightly.

“Now it is.”

“Oh? Well, let me help ya out…”

 

Try to get me to defy

The rules and the lies

But there goes my life

 

Tia eyed the card on the table, an ace… `Hmm… 8 or 11… Guy needs a 10 at leas'…' “Feel like taken a gamble?” Gold eyes went over the man's face… He was white mostly, maybe some black mixed into the blood at some point in time. Black eyes though, they weren't kind eyes either. He knew why she was there, and while not objecting to her presence, she had an idea he'd snap her neck without a blink. `A challenge then…'

“Sure, why not.” He spoke even English, no real accent of any type. Tia was finding it difficult to read his face too… He turned to the dealer, “Hit me.”

Sure enough, a 10 was turned up to him, and the dealer had 4 on the table… Tia smirked slightly; tonight would work out surely.

 

Goes everything I've ever known

My world where I've

Lived and grown

Droppin' the lie

Prayin' for some truth

Makes me wonder why

I don't run away

 

````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Deleted scenes available on other sites- edited to meet Fanfiction.net's rules regarding content

``````````````````````````````````````````````````

Tia smiled slightly, closing the hotel door behind her, fingering the ring around her finger and the bills in her right hand. The man knew about parting with these things, not what was in her pocket on the inside of her collar. Tia sighed, walking down the steps, avoiding the elevator out of force of habit. She knew something wasn't right this time though…

 

Welcome to the city of sin

You're here so walk on in

Throw away your worries

All that heavy care

 

“Damn it all… Had a good nigh' and all I can thin' abou' is tryin' to e'plain it ta tha' dem…” Tia's gold eyes narrowed. It was none of Kurama's concern what she did for a living. Her profession was the whole reason they were with her anyway, what she did had gotten her through life, sure, but it had also given her a lot of information she'd never considered important but…

 

** Ko-Enma crossed his arms. “Now Tia, tell me what you know about the Wans. I realize they're connected to this, but, I need proof before I can do anything about it.”

Tia shifted her weight. “Tey're one of ta strongest gangs ou' tere, in ta city at leas'. Tey're no' up ta' Blud or Crip level…”

Ko-Enma shook his head. “We know that. Gangs in the human world aren't our concern Tia, strange humans or the presence of demons, are though.”

The teen sighed. “ `ell, the city's full of strang' people. Though… t'ere was tis one guy I… Got ta know. Bragged abou' some things.”

“Good, now, I need you to find as much evidence of anything un-human taking place in the city- I realize with your… experience, it shouldn't be so difficult.”***

 

Let the night-lights stoke you

Run its hand over you

Kiss you deep

And fill you full of that sweet, sweet lust

We all know somehow

 

Tia stepped off the staircase, taking the employees doors out of the building and ending up in an alley off the main strip. She reached into her pocket at her collar, unbuttoned it, glanced at the Rolex, and slipped it back in. 2 AM… Still a little early to quit, but she had the unpleasant feeling something more was off than her conscience trying to take a stand. Gold eyes glanced along the ground, both ways, and stepped off to her right, toward the house. She had gotten enough. Tia prided herself in knowing when to quit; this was one of those times. She turned on heel and walked quickly away from the bright lights, the voices, the cars… The teen shook her head.

 

Past runs wild for me

Calls my name constantly

Present doesn't give a damn

This is my life man

 

Yusuke shook his head, eyeing the digital clock by his bed. The teen rarely had trouble going to sleep; unfortunately this was one of those times… 2:24 AM… Maybe because he'd been in bed since like 5 PM, other than getting up around 12 for a few minutes to talk to Kurama… 2:25 AM… He should probably get up instead of laying here… Maybe someone else was up… There had to be something to do to keep him occupied… `Bet Kurama's still reading… I swear…' Brown eyes closed and he thought over what the demon had said earlier… He himself had died, of course; it was his fault technically… He had jumped out in front of the car. Tia didn't seem the type to do something like that for someone else… He frowned; of course, no one thought he would've either. 2:27 AM.

 

Too bad you don't seem to understand

What it is I do

I gather what I can

Stand here and take it all in

Too bad for me

Too bad for you

 

`I could just ask her, instead of laying here…' Yusuke sighed and brown eyes opened. He sat up, glancing at Kuwabara across the room… He shook his head. The orange-headed teen was in the floor, snoring, with the blankets wrapped around him… Yusuke silently wondered if Tia had a camera… Blackmail…

`````````````````````````````````````````

Kurama glanced up from his book when Yusuke entered the room; the demon was silent. He saw Yusuke glance at one of the few traditional clocks in the house that hung on the dining room wall, and sighed.

“Tia not back yet?” The teen ran his hand through his hair, eyeing the book in Kurama's hands, something about urban legends and myths.

“No,” Kurama said simply. During his years in the Makai, he'd have thought no more about Tia being an "acting thief" as Ko-Enma had put it. Now however, well, his opinion differed on certain topics that before he had been indifferent toward.

“What did she go out for? Money? She said she'd get some shopping and stuff done for the house earlier, but she wouldn't do that now surely.” Yusuke snorted at the idea.

 

Welcome to the city of sin

You're here so walk on in

Throw away your worries

All that heavy care

 

Kurama was silent a moment, before closing his eyes and putting his book down. He decided this was a time to explain a few things to the teen. Yusuke wasn't an innocent, meaning he wasn't clueless to some things… okay, most things. But at the same time, Kurama doubted he understood what Ko-Enma had implied was Tia's… profession.

“Actually Yusuke, I believe Tia did go get money for shopping… Though, not in the sense you're talking about I'm sure.”

Yusuke blinked, “She tell you where she went then? Well okay, when she getting back?” He crossed his arms.

“No, she actually didn't tell me where she was going. But… Do you remember what Ko-Enma said about Tia? Or have you forgotten most of the information?”

Brown eyes blinked, but the Spirit Detective sighed. “She's 19… Lives here… Some kinda acting thing for a living… Might explain why she doesn't really have a place of her own right? Actors don't make a lot of money.”

 

Let the night-lights stoke you

Run it's hand over you

Kiss you deep

And fill you full of that sweet, sweet lust

We all know somehow

 

“Yusuke, I have every reason to believe that Tia is out… selling herself. That would be what Ko-Enma meant when he mentioned `an acting thief'. More than likely Tia simply takes what she's paid, and a bit more than that as well.” Kurama crossed his arms and evenly glanced at Yusuke, waiting for a reaction…

The teen was quiet for a few moments, and then simply sighed. “Well, that makes sense I guess…See how she could get killed.”

“I doubt something she does professionally would get out of her hands, she seems the type to know when to leave a task when it becomes too risky, but I wonder-” Kurama stopped mid-sentence when a board creaked from upstairs. He gave Yusuke a look that plainly said he would continue later. Yusuke simply nodded.

A few moments later Kuwabara gave a loud yawn and appeared from the staircase, rubbing at his eyes and blinking.

 

Come along now

Follow me

Watch my routine

See how I move

See how I be

 

It started as a far off echo of voices amongst the alleyways. Tia recognized them and began to change her course, avoiding them out of habit and common sense. She hardly wanted to run across a gang at the moment, or any moment for that matter. She simply shifted her weight and took a sharp right, avoiding the voices to her left. However she had gone only a few steps when the voices changed to in front of her. Gold eyes narrowed and hair stood along her spine but she changed course again, turning back. Again the voices changed, except now they were all around her, drifting along the still alleys and along the walls of the buildings. Tia's throat tightened and she tensed. `Shit… What in ta hell is this?'

 

Let the night show you

Another part of me

One that's secret

Never shows its face

Only comes when it's drew

 

Kuwabara shot a good 3 feet in the air, his eyes suddenly wide. There wasn't a trace of the drowsiness that had been apparent before. He blinked shaking his head… “Urameshi… Tell me you sense something too…” The orange-headed teen was stiff as a board and looking in the direction Kurama guessed was the middle of town. Yusuke simply nodded.

“Yeah, there's something… nothing big though…” The Spirit Detective didn't look at all worried. Kurama wasn't either; after all, whatever demon it was couldn't be much more than a D-class or so… Emerald eyes blinked and red bangs fell into his eyes. He looked to Kuwabara's eyes, and followed where the human teen was looking. Wide eyes landed on the back door.

Yusuke had followed Kurama's gaze and the raven headed boy nodded. “You think Tia's in trouble, right? Is that where she went?”

Kurama nodded. To them a D-class demon was nothing, barely a blink of an eye. To a human girl, even a human like Tia, could pose a problem.

 

Welcome to the city of sin

You're here so walk on in

Throw away your worries

All that heavy care

 

Tia knew something wasn't right the second she saw the man. Suddenly coming into view was one thing, appearing out of thin air was a different story. Gold eyes narrowed and her fists clenched, her eyes focused squarely on a thin, lank form of a man. A dark trench coat of sorts blew from the breeze that chose to pick up. Even from the 20 or so yards, she could see something wasn't right. Under the cloth of the coat, the skin was a dull gray. `Wha' in ta `ell… Tha's some damn rash…' She shifted her weight and shuddered as she heard another set of footsteps behind her.

 

Let the night-lights stoke you

Run it's hand over you

Kiss you deep

And fill you full of that sweet, sweet lust

We all know somehow

 

Kuwabara's head jerked. “Yusuke there's another one…”

“I know, I sense it too,” responded the fore-mentioned one. Brown eyes moved along the street they were on, wondering aloud, “Where in the hell could she be?”

Kurama was a few paces off, looking along the sidewalks at a few random forms. They were slowly getting closer toward the center of the city. The neighborhoods were turning into apartment buildings, the streets branching off into a complicated network of alleyways. The demon gave a rather uncharacteristic curse. He could plainly sense both demons, though pinpointing them wasn't something he would be able to do. Not when there were so many alleys and buildings.

Kuwabara turned toward his right suddenly, facing one alleyway. “Down that way.”

Yusuke chuckled, “Good enough for me.”

 

Deep eyes trapped me

Never let me close me eyes

Leave me in peace

From all of my lies

 

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

end of chapter 3