Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Lady of Green ❯ In which the plot thickins ( Chapter 4 )

Icelung06: Hidey ho neighbor!

Firelung06: Greetings

IL: Well, I'm finally out of traction after our last little, um… spat. So that means I can type again!

FL: "spat."? * quirks an eyebrow *

IL: Fine, more like WW III but still…

FL: * sighs * Just do the disclaimer.

IL: I/We do not own YYH or Home Improvement. I/We only own Noric, Nova, Ivy, Josie, and Enya.

FL: Oh- F.Y.I.- the "I" P.O.V. in this chappie is Noric.

IL: And we're going to rewind a bit, so if some parts seem familiar… they're supposed to.

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"Ouch! Geez…" I let off a stream of swearing that would have made a sailor blush. That was the third time the wrench had slipped, causing my hand to go smacking into a metal bar.

-You're lucky you haven't broken your hand yet.- Luke said. Luke, Lianna's twin brother, now lived in me like Lianna lived in Nova. I chose not to comment.

-You may as well tell me about it. I know any way.- he continued.

I sighed. -Fine.- I said. -I can't concentrate. Nova is miserable. When she's not miserable she's furious. I wish I could tell her that this is the only way to keep us safe.- Nova had been fired from her sprit spy from position about a month ago. That much she knew.

What she didn't know is that I had been assigned to keep an eye on the elves as an undercover agent. Exactly two weeks into my assignment I had discovered that Luke and Lianna were the elves public enemies number one and two. The elves had thought the twins were dead, but had somehow found out that a set of human twins carried their sprits, and so, their gifts. The elves had intended to "liberate the sprits of our comrades and bring them home," then finish whatever punishment Lianna and Luke had escaped. The only way to free Lianna and Luke was to kill me and Nova. We were both deactivated from the spy service as soon as I gave Koenma the news. We had to lay low, keep out of sight for a while. If Koenma had any files on us an eleven spy could break in just as easily as I had, and find us. Ivy, Josie, and Enya had been fired too, for their connection to us. I was a guilty wreck.

-Would it be so bad to tell her?- asked Luke.

-Yes. Come on Luke, you've gotten to know Nova as well as I do.-

Luke winced mentally. -I see your point.-

-Hey, I have an idea.- I pulled myself out from under my mom's car. -How about you tell me what exactly you and Lianna did to tick these guys off so bad. I mean, it's been almost sixteen years, that's quite a grudge.-

As always, when I brought up their "crime", Luke went mysteriously silent.

I grunted as went to the toolbox. -Fine, you don't want to tell me. I can take a hint. You should though. You are using my body.-

"Where is that screwdriver?" I asked myself aloud. "Nova!" I yelled. "Where did you hide that Phillips head screwdriver?"

"I put it back where it belongs, Noric!" Nova yelled back sounding exasperated.

I grabbed a rag to wipe my hands on and walked into the living room. "You know I can't find …" then I saw the sprit detectives. " Um, hello." I managed to say. Not exactly the worlds brightest comment, but it worked. "What are you doing here?" I asked. Surely Koenma would realize that any contact with the spirit world would send up red flags in the eleven court.

"We need some information, but she won't help us, `cause she feels unnecessary." Kuwabara blurted out.

Everyone looked at him.

"Well… that's what she said." Kuwabara stammered turning red.

"Unnecessary is a whole five syllables, Kuwabara! Wow, I'm impressed!" Yuske said, and laughed.

"Perhaps there's more to Kuwabara's statement than that." Kurama said, and looked at Nova. I felt my eyes narrow. I had no idea why, but I really didn't like it when Kurama looked at Nova. In fact, I didn't like it when any guy looked at Nova. Especially one that looked like Kurama. I guess it's the whole overprotective brother thing. "Do you feel `unnecessary'?" Kurama continued.

Nova was either oblivious or too angry to notice. "If I do, it's golden boy's fault." She said and pointed at Yuske. "Look, I have stuff to do so, if you'll excuse me." She spun on her heel and walked up the stairs.

I watched her go up the stairs as a wave of guilt flooded me. "Sorry about that. She's been like that for a while now."

"Since when have I been golden boy?" Yuske asked.

I shrugged and turned back to them. "Since she got back that day. All I did was ask her how it had gone, and she… exploded." I shook my head. "She said a few things that would shock a demon, let alone our mother."

"I doubt it." Hiei said from the floor.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." I looked frankly at him.

"Hn." Was all he said.

I heard water running upstairs as Nova turned the shower on. I sighed. What was I going to do with her?

"Noric," mom poked her head out of the kitchen, "lunch is ready. Have your friends eaten lunch yet?"

"Have you?" I asked. "If not, you're more than welcome to eat with us."

They looked at each other and I had to suppress a laugh. The great sprit detectives, puzzled over lunch.

"Sure." Yuske said. They all agreed in their own way, right down to Hiei's, "Hn."

When we were all at the kitchen table I asked, "so what information did you need from Nova?"

Again, they looked at each other. "You two know more about this than we do." Yuske told Kurama and Hiei.

Kurama looked at our mother, then pointedly looked at me.

"Don't worry," I said. "Mom knows all about Koenma and sprit world."

Mom cleared her thought and shut the refrigerator door a bit harder than necessary. "And here I thought you two were making normal friends." She was still a bit upset about Nova's little "outburst" and blamed the "bad people" in the sprit world for teaching her little girl such language.

Kurama gave a surprised look, then started. "Koenma mentioned that you two know a great deal about the elves."

I stiffened as warning bells went off in my head. "Yes." I said slowly, "why?"

"The elves had requested that Koenma send a negotiator from the sprit world to help in the return of two of their most dangerous criminals. However, their High Council will only talk to certain people… specifically, only people who have passed through their labyrinth."

It took a great deal of will power to swallow the bite of sandwich in my mouth. The labyrinth was originally built during the Great Battle millennia ago, when the elves and the demons first started their war, to keep demons out of the elf's lands. It was a maze with several correct endings, but traps beyond anything seen at Maze Castle. There were the usual arrows out of walls, pits with sharpened stakes and vipers at the bottom, and the actual maze itself. There were, however, other traps. Tunnels could move without warning, and of their own free will. Riddles that would drive you insane trying to solve them. Rooms magiced to illusion, monsters hidden in the corridors, and several things I didn't even know how to put into words. If anyone ever made it out they were half starved and insane, therefore no threat to the elves. Most were killed out of pity.

It also didn't escape my attention that the elves were looking for "two of their most dangerous criminals." I spoke carefully, "so you're going into the labyrinth?"

Kurama nodded.

"Mom!" I heard Nova yell.

"Yes?" mom yelled back.

"I'm heading out to meet the girls for lunch." Nova poked her head into the kitchen.

"Ok, just be home for dinner." mom said.

"Right." Nova said, sounding none too happy.

She left, and I debated on whether or not to stop her. If the elves were willing to ask the demons for help… I finally redirected my attention to Kurama. "I'm sorry. I can't help you."

They were all silent for a moment before Hiei said, "can't or won't?"

"Both." I answered simply.

"Look," Yuske said suddenly, "Koenma told us that you are in some trouble with the elves." I resisted the urge to make a sarcastic noise. "In some trouble with" was like using the word breeze to describe a hurricane. I was also slightly concerned that Koenma had told them we were in trouble. How much had he told them?

"And if you agree to help," Yuske continued, "they have agreed not to harm you in any way." I heard Nova's bike turn on and leave the driveway.

"Well, yeah." I said in my best Duh voice. "That's because they don't expect us to survive the labyrinth."

"But you and Nova are supposedly know more about the labyrinth than anyone else on the outside. That surely raises our chances quite a bit." Kurama argued.

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it." Mom said and walked out of the kitchen.

"Oh it raises our chances. From about a billion to one, to about a million to one." I said.

"But there's still-" that's when a shout cut through the air.

"SHE'S GONE! Where is she?"

I ran out of the kitchen to find my mother staring down a blonde man several feet taller than she was. "Yes, Vlad. She went to eat lunch with her friends."

"Vlad?" I asked. Vlad was our inside elf. He was a secondary member of the elves High Council and kept an eye on all of the elves business for us to make sure Luke and Lianna were safe. "What are you doing here?"

He spun to face me. "Noric, where is Nova? We have to find her now."

"Why?" I asked, a feeling of dread growing in my gut. Surely not…

"They know."

That was all he had to say before I was back in the kitchen calling all of Nova's friends, hoping to God that we found her in time.

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FL: What is it with you and cliffhangers?

IL: Dunno. Why?

FL: * shrugs * Dunno. You're good at them, you just write them a lot.

IL: * shrugs *

FL: anyway…it has been brought to my attention that there is some confusion over Nova's name.

IL: what kind of Confusion?

FL: Apparently there's a type of car called a Nova. SHE IS NOT NAMED AFTER THE CAR! She is named after the explosion of a star.

IL: You're a poet!

FL: * sarcastically * Oh, goodie.

IL: Oh, now who's the killjoy? Huh?

FL: >= p * blows razzberry *

IL: * sighs * You are so immature. Please review.

FL: Yes! REVIEW OR BE BURNED ALIVE! (I can do that you know. I have mystical authoress powers! Muahahahahahaha!)

IL: O.O