Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Demon Familiars ❯ Ch.21 ( Chapter 21 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: melanthamoree 
the story continues
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Hentai / Fantasy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.07.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 207 | Status: Completed
the story continues
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action / Hentai / Fantasy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 07.07.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 207 | Status: Completed
YuYu Hakusho:
The Demon Familiars
(Author's note: I wish to rant again. Skip this if you want to, nothing important here, just my cynical opinion.
In every story, serious or not, Kuwabara is portrayed as either a whimp who just talks tough or a complete brainless moron. I understand he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but cut him some slack would you? He's a very good person despite his tendency to talk trash as much as Yusuke does. His honor code is as complicated as Hiei's is. Sure he's not androgenously gorgeous like Kurama or Karasu but he shouldn't be tossed aside just because of that. Come on, let him say something deep for once.)
Chapter warning: violence, obscene language
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Ch.21
The television was on but Yusuke wasn't paying attention to it. He sat on their couch staring blankly at the screen thinking about how that demon could have got in with out them knowing. They had hit a dead end, having no idea what they were up against put a very large kink in any offensive plan they could think of. Plus there was a good chance it would be an ambush in which case they were all screwed to high heaven.
'If only that bastard hadn't gotten ahold of Yukina, we would have the familiar to bargain with them instead of having to *trade* her.'
Yusuke sighed, Hiei was in the same spot from when he first arrived to their apartment, sitting in a chair in Kurama's room and facing the window. Kurmama and Yusuke both had attmepted to talk to him but all they recieved for their efforts was silence.
He glanced over his shoulder at Kuwabara standing out side the open door scowling. Yukina's kidnapping had devistated him, Yusuke wanted to pat him on the back and tell him everything would be fine, but giving false hope would do no one any good at that point. The tall man shrunk back before squaring his shoulders and marching into Kurama's room.
Kuwabara approached the three eyed demon, brows furrowed. He crossed his arms and stared down at the solemn man. He opened his mouth to talk but nothing came out. The demon's expression was painful to witness. Hiei never looked up, nor did he acknoledge the other man's presense in the slighest. Kuwabara made a sad frown then growled.
"Alright, that does it! Insult me! Right now!"
He pointed a finger between his eyes," I know you heard me runt! Call me an idiot! Call me a fool! Call me a stupid worthless human!"
There was no answer, the demon blinked but that was all.
"*Please* call me an idiot?," He tried weakly.
Kuwabara watched him for a short time then sighed and shook his head. He turned and left closing the door behind him.
'Poor little guy' He thought,' Should have kept his mouth shut though...'
"Any luck Kuwabara,?" Yusuke asked him.
"No, he wont even look at me, he's lost it big time Urameshi."
He flopped onto the couch next to him and scowled.
"Jordan pinched a sensitive nerve in him I'm afraid," Kurama said from the arm chair," I'm not sure exactly what was said, but I think it had something to do with Hiei's sister."
"Yeah, but is he gonna get over it by tomorrow? We need him."
"In time, though I'm not sure how long, he's never reacted this way to anything. I think he must truly belive he's lost Yukina."
"Damn, I'd smack the dike myself if it'd do any good," He growled.
"You shouldn't talk like that Urameshi, she's a girl, she probably had a good reason for saying it that we'll never understand."
"Why do you keep calling her a girl?," He snapped," She's not, she has bigger balls than Kurama does."
"What? she doesn't have balls, she's a woman!"
Yusuke sighed," I didn't mean it in the literal sense dummy..."
Kuwabara opened his mouth to retort when a loud knock at the front door made him lose his concentration. Kurama stood up and opened it, Shizuru walked in followed by Keiko, Botan, and the familiar.
"What are *you* doing here sis?," Kuwabara asked.
"She's here to apologize," She pointed lazily to Jordan," I just drove them since they don't know the bus schedual over here very well and they didn't have money for a taxi."
She walked into the kitchen, the smell of cigaretts trailing behind her.
"Apologize to whom,?" Kurama frowned.
"Who do you think, Kurama?," Botan exclaimed," Her demon of course. We ladies had a long talk together and we've straightened everything out on this end."
The fox spirit nodded, making an effort to avoid looking at Jordan. He went into to the small kitchen and sat down at the counter. Yusuke could hear Shizuru and him talking as Keiko leaned down and kissed his cheek.
"So, where is he?"
He gestured to the door across the room then said," He hasn't moved since we got here, if you manage to get through to him I'll be impressed."
"Well, get ready to be very impressed," Botan smiled," This particular plan of mine has never failed before."
"That's hard to believe," Yusuke smirked.
Botan snorted at his comment and walked to the door. She cracked it slowly and peeked inside with one purple eye, she turned to Jordan," He's facing away from the door, here's you chance, go to it."
"He already knows I'm here," She shrugged.
Yusuke watched as she walked inside and shut the door behind her.
"Keep your fingers crossed," Keiko said.
"Ok, but I doubt it'll work," He said glumly.
"Have a little faith in Botan, she's actually good at this kind of thing."
"If you say so..."
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Trying hard to remember what Botan told her to do, Jordan inched nervously toward the sitting demon with as much courage as she could amass. The silence of the room made her want to hold her breath, anxious to see what he would do if he saw her.
She did admit her snake bite of a comment to him was made with out thinking, Jordan wasn't sure if she actually meant it. A small part of her wanted him to suffer as much as she had, but it never occured to her until now that the fire demon might have already been suffering, which in that case she had made it worse.
He was slumped in the chair, hands resting in his lap, face angled slightly down. His eyes stayed forward, empty and dead, no indication that their red depts had ever held anything except for color. Jordan watched him for a second, he looked miserable.
'Ah hell,' she thought,' Why did I have to be born with an overactive guilty concious?'
She stood directly in front of him, blocking his view of the window.
"Ok Gremlin, if you want me to move start talking," She said bluntly.
No reply, he stared straight through her. She waved a hand in his face, then flicked him between the eyes. He didn't flinch.
Jordan sighed in defeat," Fine...I was wrong to hit you below the belt and I apologize."
She waited, no reply.
"No? God, yell at me, curse me, hit me if you want to," She said in a resigned voice.
His gaze remained forward as if he were a ventriliquist dummy instead of a living person.
"Silent treatment...ok, I understand," She nodded," This calls for drastic measures..."
Bending over at the waist she rapped one arm around his shoulders and the other around his neck bringing his head to rest under her chin. His breath was hot against her shirt but she forced herself not to think about it. She was surprised when she felt his left arm rise up and go around her lower back, then the other one followed suit. The fire demon tightened his grip, pulling them closer together and bringing his arms further up her back.
'Well, this was unexpected,' She thought in amazement,' I just hope he's not planning to squeez me until I pop.'
When the demon didn't move again she wondered why. Did he actually accept her halfhearted attempt of a good excuse for stomping on him like a cockroach?
"You can hear me, right?"
She felt him nodd against her chest.
"Ok, just wondering."
Jordan stayed in one spot for a few minutes hugging the demon, then the akward position and uncomfortable silence took over and she felt the need to escape.
"Uh, I'm going to go and tell them you're not a zombie anymore...so if you could let-" She attempted to pry his arms off her but with no luck,"-Go, I'll just...yeah."
She sighed," You know, the world's not going to end if you stop squeezing me..."
No answer.
"Gremlin, you're a pain in the ass," She mumbled.
She bit her lip, and growled under her breath.
'Why me? It's just my luck I find out he has a reason to be a jerk-off . Now what am I suppose to do?'
She stared down at his head. It didn't appear that he planned on moving any time soon, he looked very comfortable despite the tension in his shoulders. Jordan could feel the bones in his shoulders and spine even with the strong muscle over them. He must have weighed less than her, the was no possible way he could have been over 130 pounds or else demons bent every other law of science that they didn't already bend.
'I guess I could carry the guy, Genkai did say I got a lot stronger from being connected to him.'
Jordan released her hold on his neck and shoulders, the fire demon pressed his head into her chest, hiding his face from her view.
'Ok, so how do I do this when he's sitting down?'
"Hmph," She grunted while thinking of a way to pick him up at the angle they were in.
Bending her knees she attempted to put her left arm under his legs, but Hiei refused to move his head, so it was impossible unless he wanted to get suffocated by her breasts.
Then as if he heard her thoughts he shifted his head to her shoulder and brought his left arm back to his side, which was exactly what she needed in order to lift him with out falling over.
'He actually wants me to pick him up? Or is it just a compromise for not wanting to move...'
Jordan lifted him up from the chair easily, he wasn't very heavy at all, she hadn't even strained herself. The demon kept his right arm around her waist, his left clutched a handfull of her t-shirt.
'Alright, now to open the door.'
Using her left hand she twisted the door knob and pushed with her shoulder, the door opened in. Botan's head turned to her expectantly and her smile turned into a shocked 'o' when she saw what the familiar was carrying.
"What the?," Yusuke said, looking awestruck.
"What happened?," Keiko gapsed.
"Is he ok?," Botan said, walking to her.
"Err- I don't know," She tried her best to shrug while holding him," I hugged him and he sort of decided not to let go I guess..."
Botan gazed down at the fire demon with consern, then her frown slowly broke into a happy smile.
"Awww...," She whispered.
"Huh, what?," Jordan raised an eyebrow at her.
The blue haired woman put her hands against her face in a gesture of delight," That is so...cute."
Jordan stare at her in disbelief," Ummm...cute, right."
Her eyes darted to the silent demon, then back to Botan who was still smiling at them.
"He looks happy...," She said sweetly.
A hot feeling rose up her face," No he doesn't, he doesn't look happy. If anything he looks sad."
"Relieved would be a better word for it."
Jordan glanced to her left to see Kurama standing by the arm chair, Shizuru was leaning against the kitchen entrance's frame, an unlit cigarette in her hand.
The tone of Kurama's voice made her wonder if he was angry with her. While the other's either had looks of happiness or awe on their faces the fox demon wore a blank expression on his. Or at least it looked blank to her. Jordan returned his stare, then blinked and turned back to Botan and the others.
"Yeah, I guess relieved does fit better," She mumbled nonchalantly.
Shizuru cleared her throat, Botan looked away nervously. Even Keiko seemed to feel the level of tension in the room.
It was Yusuke who broke the silence," Ok, so now that we know he isn't in a coma or anything like that, how do we go about planning what to do?"
Jordan relaxed when Kurama switched his attention from her and Hiei to Yusuke. Her shoulders sagged slightly from the weight of him, Hiei was light but he wasn't a feather and her arms were getting tired. She found a spot on the wall where there was nothing against it and sat down sighing when the heavyness subsided.
Kieko walked over to her," Why don't you take him back in Kurama's room?"
Jordan pondered this. They probably didn't care if she was out there anyway, she really didn't play much of a part in the game except for being the means to get Yukina back with.
She slid her back up the wall for balance and left the living room, closing the door behind her.
The bed was a twin size, plenty of room for two people if they planned on being squashed, and she doubted Hiei was going to let go any time soon, so squashed it was.
'Hey, I'm going to put you down for a sec' alright?'
The demon exhaled against her but gave no reply. She lowered him down onto the comforter, and let go of his legs. His arm remained around her lower back, but he released the hold on her shirt. His face remained buried in her shirt the entire time as she attempted to climb over him and roll onto her side. Just as the first time he curled around her as she were a life-line instead of the thing which had caused him the pain.
'Now what do I do, keep this demon or go with the other one?'
Choose the one who came to her willfully or the one who came to her against his will? Would she choose logic or pity? Gazing down at the demon's spiked head she could not have answered the question even if she had wanted to.
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He had tried his best not to show any negative expression on his face, even though he was slightly angry with her. Kurama wanted to ask the woman what had been going through her mind when she insulted Hiei. More importantly why did it appear that Hiei had forgiven her? The fire demon did not take most abasements to heart, but those were usually shallow insults and had no grounds to them at all. This was different, the familiar had found out something very few knew about him. Physically he was almost impossible to hurt, but emotionally...the woman had proved that was *very* possible.
What was their course of action now? They were trying to decide that, though they had not gotten very far with it.
"So, they're in the spirit realm, but where? Did he give us a clue or something? I don't remember it," Yusuke said.
Kurama nodded," He did give us one. He said 'I hope you like to swim.'"
"So its some where in the spirit realm where there's water. That doesn't necessarily narrow the search down considering we only have a day left to find it," Botan frowned.
"Maybe we should just go there and look for it now, take everyone with us. Eight of us should be able to find it right?," Yusuke added.
"The spirit world is enormous, it would take months with just the eight of us."
Kuwabara sighed," I hate to say it guys, but we need help..."
No one tried to argue with him.
The conversation went on the same for an hour, the four of them called it quits and the girls left. Kuwabara went to his room a few minutes later saying something about saying good night to his cats. Yusuke and Kurama were left
in the living room. He could feel Yusuke watching him from the corner of his eye but it didn't bother him.
"So...what do you think is wrong with Hiei?," He asked quietly.
Kurama sighed," I am not sure, I've never seen him like this."
"Hmm," Yusuke looked down," I still don't see why he would want to touch her at all after what happened. I would be pissed."
"Hiei does not think like a human Yusuke. What ever his reasons for this they are not with out consideration."
"Yeah, unless he's just given up..."
The spirit detective stood up," I'm going to hit the sack."
He stopped and looked at Kurama's closed door," They're going to just stay in there I guess. You want me to shoo them out for you?"
Kurama shook his head," No, of course not. It doesn't matter to me, I'll sleep on the couch."
"Well, alright," Yusuke shrugged and walked away.
It was impossible for him to sleep, the fox demon stared into the darkness trying to understand Hiei's reasoning. Never in his life had he been so confused, he was acting in an unpredictable way, the woman seemed to cause strange reactions in him. Or perhaps it wasn't the woman at all, was it the dilemma with Yukina? Or maybe it was both. Kurama did understand how that would send any normal person's mind off track, but Hiei wasn't normal, especially for a demon.
He sighed and stood up, if he was ever going to find out he would have to ask, Hiei wasn't going to offer the information to him. Kurama silently opened the door, careful not to make any noise. Both the familiar and her demon were light sleepers. The moon light streamed through the single window and fell onto the bed, illuminating their shapes. He almost didn't want to disturb it though Hiei looked far from happy. Even in his slumber he appeared to be fighting, a nightmare perhaps? Kurama wondered if it was regarding Yukina, but stopped when he noticed two dark red eyes watching him.
"Hiei..."
The fire demon blinked then released his hold on the woman, she sighed and shifted around but did not wake. Hiei leaned up on his side, head resting in his hand. The two demons were silent until Hiei spoke.
"Was there something you wanted?"
The tone was dry and edged with anger, Kurama knew it wasn't directed towards him but his eyes narrowed none the less. The fox sighed.
"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what's troubling you..."
The demon turned his head away," Why? There's no point in telling you, or telling anyone. It doesn't matter any more."
"I see, but what about Yu-"
"Shut up!," He cut him off.
Kurama jerked back, that was stupid of him. He should not have said his sister's name. Hiei glared at him, then the anger seeped from his face and the tired expression returned. The red head stood silent then regained his composure enough to speak again.
"You- Will you come with us when we go to the spirit realm?"
"Since you are taking her with you I have no other alternative but to go."
"Yes, of course."
Kurama frowned, he was not getting anything out of the smaller demon.
"Why Hiei, why did you decide to keep her?"
"Keep her? What, she's a stray now?"
He sighed, Hiei was being deliberately sarcastic. This was going no where.
"That is not what I meant Hiei," The fox demon said in a resigned voice.
"Hn."
Hiei lay back down and proceeded to curl against the familiar signaling that their conversation had ended. The red head turned and left the room. When morning came they would leave for the spirit realm to search for this unknown place near or in water. Kurama only hoped they would be able to find it before their time ran out.
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The alarm went off at dawn as Yusuke had set it to do. He immediately leaped out of bed and threw his clothes on, then proceeded to run into the kitchen. Kuwabara was already up and pouring cat food into a plastic bowl as his three pets cried expectantly.
"Is Kurama up?," He asked while pulling a box of cereal out of the cabinet.
"Yeah, he woke up right before you did. He's in the bathroom I think."
Yusuke nodded and went to the fridge for a carton of milk at the same time reaching into the drawer next to it for a spoon. Kuwabara stuffed the cat food bag back into the floor cabinet just as his toast popped up. Yusuke chewed as fast as he could despite all the warnings his mother use to give him that it was bad for his digestive system, not that he actually paid attention to it anyway. Yusuke glanced up when Kurama walked quietly in and sat down at the table. He held the cereal box out to him and Kurama smiled then shook his head. Yusuke shrugged and continued eating.
Kuwabara spread jam on his toast," So, we're going to Genkai's before we leave or...?"
"Yes. We have to stop for the others."
"Yeah," Yusuke said in between chewing," It would be pretty stupid to go up against those guys with out backup, considering we've only seen two of them so far. We don't even know how many demons are behind this."
"Hmph, I just hope the rest of them aren't as creepy as the first one we saw, that Anoril guy. He's got a scarier feel to him than the familiar girl does," Kuwabara poured a glass of orange juice and offered it to Kurama who smiled and took it from him. He then poured a glass for himself and sat down with the rest of them.
"The bigger problem is what to do about the little love triangle going on. I'd hate to go in there and have Hiei and Touya start fighting each other again," Yusuke said.
Kurama stared down at his glass," No, they wont fight in the middle of it. Neither are that type of person. They'll wait until *this* is resolved before continuing with their own issues."
"I hope you're right about that Kurama, or we're screwed," Kuwabara said.
"That is the least of our worries Kuwabara, they-."
All three heads turned to see the fire demon walk in. No one sitting at the table spoke, though Yusuke continued to crunch his cereal. Hiei walked around the table and sat down in the last empty chair. He crossed his arms and looked at them," You can stop being so cautious, I don't plan on killing anyone at the moment."
He grinned sadistically," Of course since all of you are giving such entertaining reactions perhaps I'll go back to the way I was acting at Genkai's temple."
At the same time Kuwabara choked on his orange juice and began to cough, Kurama smiled and laughed nervously, and Yusuke grinned revealing pieces of cornflake in his teeth.
Hiei sighed," Did any of you decide a on plan or will I have to do it?"
"We'll think of one when we get to Koenma," Yusuke said.
"Hn."
"Is Jordan still asleep?," Kurama asked after taking a long drink of orange juice.
"No."
Kurama waited for him to add to it but he didn't, he decided to leave it at that.
The Demon Familiars
(Author's note: I wish to rant again. Skip this if you want to, nothing important here, just my cynical opinion.
In every story, serious or not, Kuwabara is portrayed as either a whimp who just talks tough or a complete brainless moron. I understand he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but cut him some slack would you? He's a very good person despite his tendency to talk trash as much as Yusuke does. His honor code is as complicated as Hiei's is. Sure he's not androgenously gorgeous like Kurama or Karasu but he shouldn't be tossed aside just because of that. Come on, let him say something deep for once.)
Chapter warning: violence, obscene language
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Ch.21
The television was on but Yusuke wasn't paying attention to it. He sat on their couch staring blankly at the screen thinking about how that demon could have got in with out them knowing. They had hit a dead end, having no idea what they were up against put a very large kink in any offensive plan they could think of. Plus there was a good chance it would be an ambush in which case they were all screwed to high heaven.
'If only that bastard hadn't gotten ahold of Yukina, we would have the familiar to bargain with them instead of having to *trade* her.'
Yusuke sighed, Hiei was in the same spot from when he first arrived to their apartment, sitting in a chair in Kurama's room and facing the window. Kurmama and Yusuke both had attmepted to talk to him but all they recieved for their efforts was silence.
He glanced over his shoulder at Kuwabara standing out side the open door scowling. Yukina's kidnapping had devistated him, Yusuke wanted to pat him on the back and tell him everything would be fine, but giving false hope would do no one any good at that point. The tall man shrunk back before squaring his shoulders and marching into Kurama's room.
Kuwabara approached the three eyed demon, brows furrowed. He crossed his arms and stared down at the solemn man. He opened his mouth to talk but nothing came out. The demon's expression was painful to witness. Hiei never looked up, nor did he acknoledge the other man's presense in the slighest. Kuwabara made a sad frown then growled.
"Alright, that does it! Insult me! Right now!"
He pointed a finger between his eyes," I know you heard me runt! Call me an idiot! Call me a fool! Call me a stupid worthless human!"
There was no answer, the demon blinked but that was all.
"*Please* call me an idiot?," He tried weakly.
Kuwabara watched him for a short time then sighed and shook his head. He turned and left closing the door behind him.
'Poor little guy' He thought,' Should have kept his mouth shut though...'
"Any luck Kuwabara,?" Yusuke asked him.
"No, he wont even look at me, he's lost it big time Urameshi."
He flopped onto the couch next to him and scowled.
"Jordan pinched a sensitive nerve in him I'm afraid," Kurama said from the arm chair," I'm not sure exactly what was said, but I think it had something to do with Hiei's sister."
"Yeah, but is he gonna get over it by tomorrow? We need him."
"In time, though I'm not sure how long, he's never reacted this way to anything. I think he must truly belive he's lost Yukina."
"Damn, I'd smack the dike myself if it'd do any good," He growled.
"You shouldn't talk like that Urameshi, she's a girl, she probably had a good reason for saying it that we'll never understand."
"Why do you keep calling her a girl?," He snapped," She's not, she has bigger balls than Kurama does."
"What? she doesn't have balls, she's a woman!"
Yusuke sighed," I didn't mean it in the literal sense dummy..."
Kuwabara opened his mouth to retort when a loud knock at the front door made him lose his concentration. Kurama stood up and opened it, Shizuru walked in followed by Keiko, Botan, and the familiar.
"What are *you* doing here sis?," Kuwabara asked.
"She's here to apologize," She pointed lazily to Jordan," I just drove them since they don't know the bus schedual over here very well and they didn't have money for a taxi."
She walked into the kitchen, the smell of cigaretts trailing behind her.
"Apologize to whom,?" Kurama frowned.
"Who do you think, Kurama?," Botan exclaimed," Her demon of course. We ladies had a long talk together and we've straightened everything out on this end."
The fox spirit nodded, making an effort to avoid looking at Jordan. He went into to the small kitchen and sat down at the counter. Yusuke could hear Shizuru and him talking as Keiko leaned down and kissed his cheek.
"So, where is he?"
He gestured to the door across the room then said," He hasn't moved since we got here, if you manage to get through to him I'll be impressed."
"Well, get ready to be very impressed," Botan smiled," This particular plan of mine has never failed before."
"That's hard to believe," Yusuke smirked.
Botan snorted at his comment and walked to the door. She cracked it slowly and peeked inside with one purple eye, she turned to Jordan," He's facing away from the door, here's you chance, go to it."
"He already knows I'm here," She shrugged.
Yusuke watched as she walked inside and shut the door behind her.
"Keep your fingers crossed," Keiko said.
"Ok, but I doubt it'll work," He said glumly.
"Have a little faith in Botan, she's actually good at this kind of thing."
"If you say so..."
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Trying hard to remember what Botan told her to do, Jordan inched nervously toward the sitting demon with as much courage as she could amass. The silence of the room made her want to hold her breath, anxious to see what he would do if he saw her.
She did admit her snake bite of a comment to him was made with out thinking, Jordan wasn't sure if she actually meant it. A small part of her wanted him to suffer as much as she had, but it never occured to her until now that the fire demon might have already been suffering, which in that case she had made it worse.
He was slumped in the chair, hands resting in his lap, face angled slightly down. His eyes stayed forward, empty and dead, no indication that their red depts had ever held anything except for color. Jordan watched him for a second, he looked miserable.
'Ah hell,' she thought,' Why did I have to be born with an overactive guilty concious?'
She stood directly in front of him, blocking his view of the window.
"Ok Gremlin, if you want me to move start talking," She said bluntly.
No reply, he stared straight through her. She waved a hand in his face, then flicked him between the eyes. He didn't flinch.
Jordan sighed in defeat," Fine...I was wrong to hit you below the belt and I apologize."
She waited, no reply.
"No? God, yell at me, curse me, hit me if you want to," She said in a resigned voice.
His gaze remained forward as if he were a ventriliquist dummy instead of a living person.
"Silent treatment...ok, I understand," She nodded," This calls for drastic measures..."
Bending over at the waist she rapped one arm around his shoulders and the other around his neck bringing his head to rest under her chin. His breath was hot against her shirt but she forced herself not to think about it. She was surprised when she felt his left arm rise up and go around her lower back, then the other one followed suit. The fire demon tightened his grip, pulling them closer together and bringing his arms further up her back.
'Well, this was unexpected,' She thought in amazement,' I just hope he's not planning to squeez me until I pop.'
When the demon didn't move again she wondered why. Did he actually accept her halfhearted attempt of a good excuse for stomping on him like a cockroach?
"You can hear me, right?"
She felt him nodd against her chest.
"Ok, just wondering."
Jordan stayed in one spot for a few minutes hugging the demon, then the akward position and uncomfortable silence took over and she felt the need to escape.
"Uh, I'm going to go and tell them you're not a zombie anymore...so if you could let-" She attempted to pry his arms off her but with no luck,"-Go, I'll just...yeah."
She sighed," You know, the world's not going to end if you stop squeezing me..."
No answer.
"Gremlin, you're a pain in the ass," She mumbled.
She bit her lip, and growled under her breath.
'Why me? It's just my luck I find out he has a reason to be a jerk-off . Now what am I suppose to do?'
She stared down at his head. It didn't appear that he planned on moving any time soon, he looked very comfortable despite the tension in his shoulders. Jordan could feel the bones in his shoulders and spine even with the strong muscle over them. He must have weighed less than her, the was no possible way he could have been over 130 pounds or else demons bent every other law of science that they didn't already bend.
'I guess I could carry the guy, Genkai did say I got a lot stronger from being connected to him.'
Jordan released her hold on his neck and shoulders, the fire demon pressed his head into her chest, hiding his face from her view.
'Ok, so how do I do this when he's sitting down?'
"Hmph," She grunted while thinking of a way to pick him up at the angle they were in.
Bending her knees she attempted to put her left arm under his legs, but Hiei refused to move his head, so it was impossible unless he wanted to get suffocated by her breasts.
Then as if he heard her thoughts he shifted his head to her shoulder and brought his left arm back to his side, which was exactly what she needed in order to lift him with out falling over.
'He actually wants me to pick him up? Or is it just a compromise for not wanting to move...'
Jordan lifted him up from the chair easily, he wasn't very heavy at all, she hadn't even strained herself. The demon kept his right arm around her waist, his left clutched a handfull of her t-shirt.
'Alright, now to open the door.'
Using her left hand she twisted the door knob and pushed with her shoulder, the door opened in. Botan's head turned to her expectantly and her smile turned into a shocked 'o' when she saw what the familiar was carrying.
"What the?," Yusuke said, looking awestruck.
"What happened?," Keiko gapsed.
"Is he ok?," Botan said, walking to her.
"Err- I don't know," She tried her best to shrug while holding him," I hugged him and he sort of decided not to let go I guess..."
Botan gazed down at the fire demon with consern, then her frown slowly broke into a happy smile.
"Awww...," She whispered.
"Huh, what?," Jordan raised an eyebrow at her.
The blue haired woman put her hands against her face in a gesture of delight," That is so...cute."
Jordan stare at her in disbelief," Ummm...cute, right."
Her eyes darted to the silent demon, then back to Botan who was still smiling at them.
"He looks happy...," She said sweetly.
A hot feeling rose up her face," No he doesn't, he doesn't look happy. If anything he looks sad."
"Relieved would be a better word for it."
Jordan glanced to her left to see Kurama standing by the arm chair, Shizuru was leaning against the kitchen entrance's frame, an unlit cigarette in her hand.
The tone of Kurama's voice made her wonder if he was angry with her. While the other's either had looks of happiness or awe on their faces the fox demon wore a blank expression on his. Or at least it looked blank to her. Jordan returned his stare, then blinked and turned back to Botan and the others.
"Yeah, I guess relieved does fit better," She mumbled nonchalantly.
Shizuru cleared her throat, Botan looked away nervously. Even Keiko seemed to feel the level of tension in the room.
It was Yusuke who broke the silence," Ok, so now that we know he isn't in a coma or anything like that, how do we go about planning what to do?"
Jordan relaxed when Kurama switched his attention from her and Hiei to Yusuke. Her shoulders sagged slightly from the weight of him, Hiei was light but he wasn't a feather and her arms were getting tired. She found a spot on the wall where there was nothing against it and sat down sighing when the heavyness subsided.
Kieko walked over to her," Why don't you take him back in Kurama's room?"
Jordan pondered this. They probably didn't care if she was out there anyway, she really didn't play much of a part in the game except for being the means to get Yukina back with.
She slid her back up the wall for balance and left the living room, closing the door behind her.
The bed was a twin size, plenty of room for two people if they planned on being squashed, and she doubted Hiei was going to let go any time soon, so squashed it was.
'Hey, I'm going to put you down for a sec' alright?'
The demon exhaled against her but gave no reply. She lowered him down onto the comforter, and let go of his legs. His arm remained around her lower back, but he released the hold on her shirt. His face remained buried in her shirt the entire time as she attempted to climb over him and roll onto her side. Just as the first time he curled around her as she were a life-line instead of the thing which had caused him the pain.
'Now what do I do, keep this demon or go with the other one?'
Choose the one who came to her willfully or the one who came to her against his will? Would she choose logic or pity? Gazing down at the demon's spiked head she could not have answered the question even if she had wanted to.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
He had tried his best not to show any negative expression on his face, even though he was slightly angry with her. Kurama wanted to ask the woman what had been going through her mind when she insulted Hiei. More importantly why did it appear that Hiei had forgiven her? The fire demon did not take most abasements to heart, but those were usually shallow insults and had no grounds to them at all. This was different, the familiar had found out something very few knew about him. Physically he was almost impossible to hurt, but emotionally...the woman had proved that was *very* possible.
What was their course of action now? They were trying to decide that, though they had not gotten very far with it.
"So, they're in the spirit realm, but where? Did he give us a clue or something? I don't remember it," Yusuke said.
Kurama nodded," He did give us one. He said 'I hope you like to swim.'"
"So its some where in the spirit realm where there's water. That doesn't necessarily narrow the search down considering we only have a day left to find it," Botan frowned.
"Maybe we should just go there and look for it now, take everyone with us. Eight of us should be able to find it right?," Yusuke added.
"The spirit world is enormous, it would take months with just the eight of us."
Kuwabara sighed," I hate to say it guys, but we need help..."
No one tried to argue with him.
The conversation went on the same for an hour, the four of them called it quits and the girls left. Kuwabara went to his room a few minutes later saying something about saying good night to his cats. Yusuke and Kurama were left
in the living room. He could feel Yusuke watching him from the corner of his eye but it didn't bother him.
"So...what do you think is wrong with Hiei?," He asked quietly.
Kurama sighed," I am not sure, I've never seen him like this."
"Hmm," Yusuke looked down," I still don't see why he would want to touch her at all after what happened. I would be pissed."
"Hiei does not think like a human Yusuke. What ever his reasons for this they are not with out consideration."
"Yeah, unless he's just given up..."
The spirit detective stood up," I'm going to hit the sack."
He stopped and looked at Kurama's closed door," They're going to just stay in there I guess. You want me to shoo them out for you?"
Kurama shook his head," No, of course not. It doesn't matter to me, I'll sleep on the couch."
"Well, alright," Yusuke shrugged and walked away.
It was impossible for him to sleep, the fox demon stared into the darkness trying to understand Hiei's reasoning. Never in his life had he been so confused, he was acting in an unpredictable way, the woman seemed to cause strange reactions in him. Or perhaps it wasn't the woman at all, was it the dilemma with Yukina? Or maybe it was both. Kurama did understand how that would send any normal person's mind off track, but Hiei wasn't normal, especially for a demon.
He sighed and stood up, if he was ever going to find out he would have to ask, Hiei wasn't going to offer the information to him. Kurama silently opened the door, careful not to make any noise. Both the familiar and her demon were light sleepers. The moon light streamed through the single window and fell onto the bed, illuminating their shapes. He almost didn't want to disturb it though Hiei looked far from happy. Even in his slumber he appeared to be fighting, a nightmare perhaps? Kurama wondered if it was regarding Yukina, but stopped when he noticed two dark red eyes watching him.
"Hiei..."
The fire demon blinked then released his hold on the woman, she sighed and shifted around but did not wake. Hiei leaned up on his side, head resting in his hand. The two demons were silent until Hiei spoke.
"Was there something you wanted?"
The tone was dry and edged with anger, Kurama knew it wasn't directed towards him but his eyes narrowed none the less. The fox sighed.
"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what's troubling you..."
The demon turned his head away," Why? There's no point in telling you, or telling anyone. It doesn't matter any more."
"I see, but what about Yu-"
"Shut up!," He cut him off.
Kurama jerked back, that was stupid of him. He should not have said his sister's name. Hiei glared at him, then the anger seeped from his face and the tired expression returned. The red head stood silent then regained his composure enough to speak again.
"You- Will you come with us when we go to the spirit realm?"
"Since you are taking her with you I have no other alternative but to go."
"Yes, of course."
Kurama frowned, he was not getting anything out of the smaller demon.
"Why Hiei, why did you decide to keep her?"
"Keep her? What, she's a stray now?"
He sighed, Hiei was being deliberately sarcastic. This was going no where.
"That is not what I meant Hiei," The fox demon said in a resigned voice.
"Hn."
Hiei lay back down and proceeded to curl against the familiar signaling that their conversation had ended. The red head turned and left the room. When morning came they would leave for the spirit realm to search for this unknown place near or in water. Kurama only hoped they would be able to find it before their time ran out.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The alarm went off at dawn as Yusuke had set it to do. He immediately leaped out of bed and threw his clothes on, then proceeded to run into the kitchen. Kuwabara was already up and pouring cat food into a plastic bowl as his three pets cried expectantly.
"Is Kurama up?," He asked while pulling a box of cereal out of the cabinet.
"Yeah, he woke up right before you did. He's in the bathroom I think."
Yusuke nodded and went to the fridge for a carton of milk at the same time reaching into the drawer next to it for a spoon. Kuwabara stuffed the cat food bag back into the floor cabinet just as his toast popped up. Yusuke chewed as fast as he could despite all the warnings his mother use to give him that it was bad for his digestive system, not that he actually paid attention to it anyway. Yusuke glanced up when Kurama walked quietly in and sat down at the table. He held the cereal box out to him and Kurama smiled then shook his head. Yusuke shrugged and continued eating.
Kuwabara spread jam on his toast," So, we're going to Genkai's before we leave or...?"
"Yes. We have to stop for the others."
"Yeah," Yusuke said in between chewing," It would be pretty stupid to go up against those guys with out backup, considering we've only seen two of them so far. We don't even know how many demons are behind this."
"Hmph, I just hope the rest of them aren't as creepy as the first one we saw, that Anoril guy. He's got a scarier feel to him than the familiar girl does," Kuwabara poured a glass of orange juice and offered it to Kurama who smiled and took it from him. He then poured a glass for himself and sat down with the rest of them.
"The bigger problem is what to do about the little love triangle going on. I'd hate to go in there and have Hiei and Touya start fighting each other again," Yusuke said.
Kurama stared down at his glass," No, they wont fight in the middle of it. Neither are that type of person. They'll wait until *this* is resolved before continuing with their own issues."
"I hope you're right about that Kurama, or we're screwed," Kuwabara said.
"That is the least of our worries Kuwabara, they-."
All three heads turned to see the fire demon walk in. No one sitting at the table spoke, though Yusuke continued to crunch his cereal. Hiei walked around the table and sat down in the last empty chair. He crossed his arms and looked at them," You can stop being so cautious, I don't plan on killing anyone at the moment."
He grinned sadistically," Of course since all of you are giving such entertaining reactions perhaps I'll go back to the way I was acting at Genkai's temple."
At the same time Kuwabara choked on his orange juice and began to cough, Kurama smiled and laughed nervously, and Yusuke grinned revealing pieces of cornflake in his teeth.
Hiei sighed," Did any of you decide a on plan or will I have to do it?"
"We'll think of one when we get to Koenma," Yusuke said.
"Hn."
"Is Jordan still asleep?," Kurama asked after taking a long drink of orange juice.
"No."
Kurama waited for him to add to it but he didn't, he decided to leave it at that.