Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ The Lady of Green ❯ In which a bad dye-job is spotted. ( Chapter 5 )

Firelung06: What is it with you guys and death threats? Ok kiddies, it's just me today because Icelung went camping with his buddies for the weekend. * Sniff sniff * I miss him.

FL'smom: He's only been gone for * checks watch * four hours.

FL: WAAAAAAAAAA!! I want him back!

FLM: -_-;; My children do not own YYH. They only own Nova, Noric, Ivy, Josie, and Enya.

FL: *sniff sniff * Don't forget Vlad.

FLM: They own Vlad too. Now what do you mean by death threats?

FL: Our reviewers come up with some, uh………interesting……ways to get us to continue the story.

FLM: Oh, really?

FL: Oh- really quick, Yin-Jins threatened to set Hell and Hiei on us. Not Kurama and Hiei. And a big thanks to Jin: master of the wind (or something like that) even though your review was basically, UPDATE OR DIE!!!!!

FLM: Are you ready now?

FL: Mm-hm. * nods *

FLM: Good. Here's your story.

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I frowned as I watched the steam rise from my hot chocolate chi.

"Nova, I'm sure the mug is terrified. You can stop glairing at it now." Josie said.

I released the mug from my hold, but didn't say anything.

Josie sighed. "Geez, I can't believe you let Binkie-breath get to you this easily."

"It's not the toddler I'm angry at." I said.

"Then who?" Josie asked.

I looked around the room before answering. I loved this café. It was small, with only a few tables, and a long padded bench that served as a booth. It had large bay windows in the front that shone with warm May sunshine. One of the windows read: efac sretaw ykrum or, from the outside, Murky Waters Café. It was cozy and safe-feeling, interesting from its solid wood floor, to its silver painted, tile ceiling. This is where I came to think. To be alone. I sighed. "The detectives were at my house today, just before I left."

Josie raised her eyebrows and took a sip of her double-grande, no foam, skim milk, hold the whipped cream, mocha-cinnamon late. (A/N: I really think coffee shop workers should get a raise for being able to remember all that.)

"So… you saw the detectives…" Josie said, wanting me to elaborate.

"They wanted some information. I told them no. Several times. Then Noric walked in and is probably telling them everything they want to know right now.

"Bummer."

"Tell me about it." I looked at my watch. "Where do you think Ivy and Enya are? We were all supposed to meet here almost twenty minutes ago."

Josie shrugged. "You know how Ivy drives." Ivy, unlike Josie, Enya, and me, had a drivers license and a car. A very nice car. (I only have a scooter, remember?) The only problem was, she drove slower than my grandmother. If there was ever a person who got a ticket for driving too slow, Ivy would be that person.

"I don't know," I said slowly. Despite her "Sunday driver" tendencies, Ivy was hardly ever late.

Josie drained her cup and set it on the table with a decisive click. "Come on, let's go walk around or something. You need to cheer up." She grabbed my arm and pulled me to the door.

"What about Ivy and Enya?" I asked.

"Your scooter is here. They'll know we're around here somewhere." She said, and succeeded in pulling me out the door. I finally gave in and walked beside her, enjoying the outside and the sun.

We had been to two food stands, four clothing shops, and goggled at diamonds the size of quarters in three jewelry store windows before I realized we were being followed. "Josie," I said quietly. Josie looked at me out of the corner of her eye to show she was listening. "I think we're being followed."

Josie gave a slight nod. "I noticed too."

"How long?"

"Since the pretzel stand, I think."

But that was almost an hour ago! I thought.

"What do you say, we loose him?" Josie asked, a smile on her face and an almost evil glitter in her eye.

"No…" I said thoughtfully, "I think we should meet him."

Josie's face went from surprised to a shark's grin. She was game.

"Besides," I added. "We need the exercise."

-Nova! This is wrong!- Lianna said. -He may have been following you, but you don't need to beat him!-

I pictured him in my mind as I had first seen him. Tallish, with long black hair and light blonde eyebrows. -General rule of thumb, Lianna. The color of your hair and the color of your eyebrows are supposed to match.-

-So he dyed his hair, you don't need to hurt him!-

Again I pictured him in my mind. This time with the aura I had picked up. It was huge. From what I estimated, he had enough sprit energy to take out everything within a twenty-mile radius.

-That doesn't mean he's an enemy!- Lianna was getting frustrated.

-All right then, how about this?- a third mental image, this one focusing on his head. A slight bump, where his ears would be under his black hair, that tapered to a point. Their stalker had pointed ears. That meant he was either an elf or a demon. Neither was good for my heath.

Lianna was silent for a moment, then said, -Fine. Just be careful.-

"Lemme guess," Josie said. "Poise has something to say?" Poise was Josie's nickname for Lianna.

I shrugged. "You know how she is." Technically, nobody was supposed to know about Lianna, but my team(being the semi-geniuses that they are) eventually figured me out.

We walked down the street and into an alley. It was shadowed but not dark. Your average garbage-ridden alley at noon. It wasn't long before we heard footsteps behind us.

"So, you choose to face me." a light masculine voice said behind us. We turned to see our stalker, and about six of his buddies.

"Who are you?" I asked. Three to one. Not favorable odds, but I had been in worse situations.

The man chuckled, a cold sound that echoed unnaturally off the alley walls. I heard more people drop from the rooftops behind us.

"Four behind us." Josie said quietly. Great. Five to one odds. Five and a half to one if you counted the dye-job.

"Who am I? You ask. I'm sorry, my dear. I'm afraid that my name is privileged information. Perhaps, though, you can ask the High Council when you see them."

My brain had just enough time to register the fact that he had mentioned the council when we were attacked from all sides.

Josie and I stood back to back as the first few made contact.

I hit my first one with a high kick to the side of his head then hit his face with a right hook. I felt his nose flatten under my fist. A second one came running at my side, attempting to tackle me. I ducked and kicked a third one behind the knees while I was in my squat, making him fall on to his back.

The fourth one who came at me was roughly seven feet tall with muscles like a bull. A big mean bull. I quickly stood up from my squat, only to have his bulk hit me like a freight train. I seemed to fly backward as my feet left the ground and I hit a wall behind me, knocking the breath out of me. I crumpled to the ground where I desperately tried to reinflate my lungs.

The Bull walked over and grabbed my neck with one hand, then lifted me to dangle in the air. Over his shoulder I could see Josie, fighting her hardest against four thugs who had attacked her at the same time. Bull slowly began to tighten his hand around my neck, a big stupid smile on his face, as if he relished in the thought of strangling me. My hands went to my throat as I attempted to pry his banana size fingers from around my neck.

Everything was going fuzzy…I …couldn't concentrate… I - was that a vine growing up Bull's leg? I watched in a dazed fascination as the plant slowly sprang out of solid concrete to twine itself around Bull's leg. Bull noticed too. He briefly looked away from me to scowl at the plant and move his leg, ripping it out of the ground, away from its roots.

It occurred to my oxygen-starved that that little act made me mad. The plant had been trying to protect me, and he had killed it.

Bull looked back at me with that same big stupid grin. Her quickly lost it when I shoved my fingernails into the tender part of his arm, and brought my foot up to hit him squarely in the groin. He dropped me and clutched his lower stomach in pain. He fell to his knees, then on his face. He didn't get up.

I fought to my feet despite my spinning head and looked for Josie. She was surrounded by four of the dye-jobs cronies; two lay unconscious a few feet away. I did some quick math in my head - there were seven left, four around Josie, three left for me.

The first of the three to come at me apparently had a broken nose. Blood ran down his face, on to his shirt, and, somehow, it looked like he had gotten it in to his eyes.

He ran at me with a yell only to be knocked into a pile of alley garbage by a kick from - ENYA!

Enya went at the other two throwing one into the other; they both went down, tripping over Bull's body. I looked at Enya and gave her her a small smile. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ivy and Josie taking out the last of her four. I realized then that Dye-job had vanished. He was nowhere to be found. I kicked myself mentally for letting him go. He had spoken of the elves High Council. He would be back.

"Thanks." I said, turning to Enya.

"Why is it I'm constantly saving your butt?" Enya asked keeping a straight face.

"Just lucky I guess."

"Hey, Nova," Josie limped up. "You Ok? I saw you face off with the big guy." She jerked her thumb at Bull's large bulk.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but what about you? You're the one limping."

Josie winced. "One got a good kick to my knee. I'll be fine though."

"Here they are!" I heard someone yell.

"Nova!" I heard someone else yell.

"Noric?" I asked. Sure enough, my twin came jogging into the alley, with(I was less than thrilled to) see the four sprit detectives trailing behind.

"Holy…" he started when he saw ten unconscious bodies scattered around the alley.

"Noric these people," I gestured to the ten on the ground, "were working for the elves. I-" I stopped when the spirit detectives walked up. There was no way I was going to let them in on our secret.

Noric nodded. "I know. Vlad showed up after you left.

"What?" I asked. That Vlad had come in person could only mean one thing.

"They know." Noric said.

"Oh no." I heard Ivy murmur

I was thinking something along the same lines, just a shade darker.

I looked at Noric. "Now what?"

-I am sorry- Lianna said. -Your life is in danger because of me.-

-No.- I answered firmly. -This is not your fault.-

"If you help us," Kurama said, "the elves are offering full amnesty."

"Amnesty?" I asked. We would be safe, forever. "What kind of help are we talking about?"

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FL: Ta-Da! Ch. 5

FLM: Thank goodness.

FL: What? Didn't you like it?

FLM: I might have if I knew who the heck you were talking about.

FL: Oh… well, since mom doesn't count…I need you to review!

FLM: REVIEW OR YOU SHALL TASTE A MOTHER'S WRATH!

FL: O.O

FLM: ^__^;; Sorry.