Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Walking on Water ❯ The Struggle for Control and Koenma's Proposal ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: XScreamingxInxPillowsX 
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“How do you know that I’m a thief?”
“You couldn’t contain yourself in taking my hat, if you want something you take it, claiming it as yours. That has always been the theory of thieves, but for your family in particular. Your family’s line has never been caught, living the rest of their days happy in riches, training the next to inherit the fortune when they die. But now I’ve made history. I’ve caught a descendant of the legendary Kikuchi line. “The toddler, known as Koenma, stated.
“YOU BASTARD!!!!! NEVER SAY THAT NAME!!!! NEVER!!!!” Rayne yelled hysterically clenching her fists tightly.
Dark energy emitted from her hands, breaking her free of the ropes. She held her head in her hands a headache forming in her mind, she barely managed to squint her eyes open to look outside to the window. Fear struck her dead on. It was the night of the full moon. The headache continued to burn within her mind, screams that sounded like screeches coming from her. She was causing the room to fall into shambles, the others watching in unbelief. Wind picked up her hair, her eyes faded blood red, and finally, she released a long, screeching howl that sent a bright light escaping from her body, nearly blinding the others. She arose in her wolf form, a black wolf with gray eyes that burned with ferocity. Hearing that name again.... being reminded of her past like that.... she couldn’t stand it. She bared her teeth at the others causing them all to take a step back as she panicked, looking for a way to escape. Her screeches managed to break the window glass, she noticed, and smirked inside her mind as she leaped out, landing on her feet. The gang followed after her, her eyes widened and she turned around and ran. She picked up speed, letting herself go to just run her heart out, or at least until she was forced to come to a harsh stop. She looked ahead of her where a beautiful, yet gigantic lake spread across the land, her only hope to get away. She took a deep breath, hoping that her nervousness wouldn’t stop her from being able to
Walk across the water.
After all, she was still part water demon. She took her first step, relieved to see her paws standing firm on the flowing river below. Her nervous pacing soon turned into a sprint as her hearing picked up the voices of the four fools, still hot on her trail. Her teeth were grinding in frustration as she ran only faster knowing that minor detour wouldn’t hold them long. She needed shelter, and she needed to find it quickly. She came to the shore at last, breathing heavily as she continued her search in the darkness of the night, easily able to see with her eyesight in wolf form. She slowed down to a walk, her tongue hanging from her mouth, pleating her to return to the river for a drink, but she didn’t. She found her shelter; a damp, cool cave that kept her well hidden thanks to her black coat, she blended in perfectly.
Her eyelids soon became too much for her to bear, and slowly, ever so slowly, she receded into darkness. She had a dream; or should I say nightmare? Her body was trembling, as her dream was black, nothing but black. She stood there, an innocent child looking around to find dead bodies lying around her; the bodies of those she cherished and she was the one dripping in blood. She looked at the blood, backing away, clutching her head screaming it wasn’t her fault, it wasn’t, only making her teeth grow into fangs and her eyes glow red. She fell to her knees, howling in pain.
Her eyes jet-open; her breath heavy.
She laid her head in-between her two paws, ears down; whining quietly. She fought the urge to cry, crying showed weakness, helplessness, worthlessness; she could not degrade herself to that level. She closed her eyes again and listened to the noises around her. She heard the wind, the stream, the scurrying animals, but not the sound of voices, not the clutter of footsteps. She sighed in relief, and stood, cautiously daring to head to the peak of the cave. She looked around once more, she was still unsure, but her stomach made the decision for her when she noticed a rabbit hopping nearby. Again her tongue hung out, saliva dripping in hunger. Her animal instincts over-powered her, and she found herself creeping behind the rabbit, hidden behind the bushes as it lay in the open.
She pounced.
Horrified, the rabbit desperately tried to escape, but the true animal in Rayne released and she became brutal. Her foot stomped down on the fragile back of the rabbit, crushing its bones as she began tearing at its flesh, the blood oozing all over her mouth and staining the spring green grass. Her sharp fangs dug into the skin, spitting fur occasionally, tearing and slashing it into smaller pieces that were easier for her to devour. She finally took a breath that she had been holding for quite a while, in absolute relief. She sighed, just now noticing the blood trickling from her mouth. She licked what she could away and retreated to the lake for a drink. She blinked, noticing the reflection of the rising sun. She smiled and walked to the hills where the rays of the morning dawn caught her dead on.
She closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the rays soak and cleanse her, she felt the wolf blood dangerously retreating away, making her flinch as the blood balanced and the transformation was over for now, so her body returned.
The night of the full moon was at last over.
She opened her eyes with a sigh of relief as she then noticed that yet again her transformation had shredded her clothing, leaving her nude. But it did not faze her, she had long since gotten used to it. She faced her palm to the ground, a void opening up and spitting out a duffel bag she had stored for these situations. She got on a pair of faded gray sweats and a black tang top as she stayed sitting on the ground for a while, playing with the license of her dog collar. She relaxed for the first time in that night full of angst, finally at peace as she listened to the voices of the forest around her.
Then a twig snapped nearby.
She growled under her breath, her eyes ever so slowly fading red again in frustration. She looked at the corner of her eye noticing it was Hiei, just jumping to another tree branch. Her fist was clenched and she reached at her waist for a shuriken but they weren’t there. She reached for her katana, which also wasn’t there, and nor were the daggers in their sheathes usually on her ankles or the handgun on her upper arm. Her eye twitched and her teeth were grinding.
“Fuck.” She mumbled under her breath knowing her spirit energy was far too low now to stand a chance as she sighed, her eyes closing.
She opened them to find a katana blade pressing against her throat and a hand placed firmly on her shoulder. She diverted her attention the other way, not even bothering to look at Hiei, which made him press harder in aggravation. She sighed and looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Well are you here to take me back or not? I grow tired of these games.” She finished with a sigh once again letting her gaze drift above her. But, suddenly, Hiei leaned above her smirking. She narrowed her eyes confusedly at first until noticing that he had removed his bandana to reveal a third eye. She merely gazed at it a second before she felt herself loosing touch with reality. She was drifting away, looking away into the eye that glowed a bright blue, until she heard a voice.
“Hn. Baka, you stared into it far too long.”
She recognized it as Hiei’s voice, slowly blinking a few times to realize her eyes were covered with a cloth. It was removed moments later where she found herself in a very familiar office, chained to that same Goddamn chair...
~*~Hiei’s Direction From Earlier ~*~
I jumped from tree to tree searching for the worthless onna the toddler seemed so fond of. Why? I did not even know myself, it was far better than prison, that I knew, but I would rather slit her throat now and save the time instead of this pointless chasing. I sighed inwardly, jumping another tree branch, but my foot slid too far to the right and snapped a small twig on the tree branch I had just landed on.
I gritted my teeth in frustration, cursing under my breath, as I knew she heard me, but jumped to the next tree either way. She was tense; I could sense her breathing was heavy, and she seemed to be searching for something only to find nothing and sigh, closing her eyes.
That let her guard down.
I immediately made my way next to her, having the blade of my katana at her neck and held onto her shoulder to ensure no escape. I smirked in triumph, but she made no effort to look at me, she just looked the other way, not afraid for her life. That aggravated me, I so loved that look of trembling fear, and yet she could just sit there staring without a care in the world at death showing nothing, it was all a blank. I pressed my katana harder on her neck, noticing a small trickle of blood escape down her neck, but she did not flinch, she only sighed.
She stared at me dead on with those eyes; those eyes that showed nothing, those eyes I had now loathed, from the corner of her eye asking me, “Well are you here to take me back or not? I grow tired of these games.”
I did not reply to her; I couldn’t. I expected her to fight; she was, after all, a thief, one stubborn and rebellious type that refuses confinement, just as I do. And yet she was willingly going to let me take her, there was no fun in that. I liked to play with my prey, confuse and torment my prey, before pouncing, but no, she did not give me the satisfaction. She looked above into the skies as my teeth were grinding, my eyes flashing that blinding blue, even the Jagan, which caused my bandana to fall. I caught it, grasping it firmly, as I leaned above her, looking down at her with a smirk. She seemed annoyed at first, but then, at last, at long last, her eyes went dull and blank again, she had learned fear.
I thought I’d feel proud, but somehow I wasn’t. I sighed, and covered my hand over her eyes, making sure she would not look into the Jagan any longer. She had went unconscious for the moment, so I laid her on the grass as I secured the bandana around my forehead and picked her up as I headed back to the toddler.
She was chained to the same chair this time, blindfolded even, but she did not wake.
I sighed, and murmured within her hearing, “Hn. Baka, you stared into it far too long.” And soon enough, she awoke.
~*~Back to Rayne’s Point of View~*~
She blinked several times adjusting to the room’s light instead of the darkness of the blindfold. Once her vision was clear again, she glared at the toddler. His eyes widened momentarily before he scoffed and turned to the side, returning to his chair. He seemed to be stalling on purpose, only aggravating Rayne further.
“Why have you brought me here? I have not done anything wrong in the ningen[human] world, or at least anything I can remember.” She finally spoke, the eerie silence striking her nerves.
“I cannot have a demon with powers such as yours living in the Human World; it’s far too dangerous. And the fact that you are the heir of the Kikuchi thief line only makes things more difficult, but you confuse me more than any of your ancestors that I have dealt with in my time. You’re a mystery to me, Rayne; it seems you just keep surprising me. As far as my knowledge has told me, you were strictly bound to only water, ice, shadow, and ghost, and yet you’ve transformed into a wolf before us and you also have quite a vermin inside you that’s struggling for control.”
She smirked at that last comment, hardly a smirk, but it was still there.
“It’s not that I’m possessed by a ‘vermin’ or anything.... I just have a lot of different demon powers within me and it seems it’s hard to keep them all in balance at times.... but what I’m really trying to do is not for a toddler like you to know.” She finished glaring at him.
She was surprised to see him only laugh. “All right, I think I understand now. You have so many demon powers; they’re unbalancing each other, which is masking one of them. And so, you’re only training yourself to such extremes to have the strength to balance them. Yes, I see.”
She blinked, her eyes wide with awe. She scoffed, looking to the side with a “Hn.”
Koenma had a smile behind his pacifier. “Looks like I’ve got another Hiei on the team, heh.” Koenma said with a small laugh.
She cocked an eyebrow, “Team?”
Koenma nodded. “What you can do in your training is limited while in the Human World, at risk a human sees you, and it’s obvious you haven’t a clue how to even begin regular training. But, if you agree to join Team Uremeshi, then I will assign you to a strict training schedule with the four boys. They may not look it, but they have potential when it comes to martial arts and could help you get stronger. Besides, I can just as easily have you locked up at will with what an unbelievable record you have, but I’m willing to let it slide just this once. “
She looked taken back a moment, sighing as she stared at the floor in a silence. It took several minutes before she replied in a murmur, “I really don’t know what to do. I’ve always been on my own, and that’s the way I like it. I don’t except help from others, I do things my own way, and so I’m sorry. I cannot accept your offer. But I can’t let you imprison me either, wolves cannot stand confinement, they like to roam free, and run with the wind at their tails. So, what will you do?” she finished, laughing slightly with hysteria dripping from her last word.
Koenma sighed. “I expected as much. Thieves have been known for their stubbornness, but I thought I’d at least give it a try, but still... I’m sure we can come up with something.”
“And what are you gonna do; bribe me? There is no reason for me to stay here, so if you have nothing better to say, I will leave now.” Rayne finished, surprisingly escaped from the chains.
“Please wait! I can help you release the vermin inside you!!!” Koenma screamed, standing on the large desk.
She stopped, glaring at him coldly over her shoulder. “And what makes you think you can do what I have spent nearly my whole life trying to accomplish? I will manage on my own one way or another!” she screamed about to make a dash for the door noticing it closed and locked tight.
“I asked the boys to wait outside, I thought it would be best to keep these personal matters secret, but they’re most likely eavesdropping anyway.” Koenma finished scratching his head.
Rayne sighed in defeat. “All right, you get a chance. I’ll at least give you a try, and join this little team of yours, but if all doesn’t go well, your head is mine.” Rayne finished, her eyes flashing red a moment, showing her fangs, as she turned and banged opened the large doors with ease despite their weight and enormous size.
DOMINOES!!!
Koenma had told the truth, they were eavesdropping, each ear close to the door. They were slammed on top of each other when the door slammed open, each piling onto another.
Rayne looked at them from the corner of her eye. “Bakas.” She muttered just loud enough for them to hear as she tucked her hands inside her pockets and walked off, despite the fact she had no idea where she was going.
She wandered the maze of halls, her eye twitching in annoyance and a large “Anime Vein” on her head, as she seemed to be going in circles.
“Well it would appear someone is lost.” She heard someone say behind her, making her stop in her tracks, her eyes narrowing from the corner of her eye.
The stranger laughed, coming next to her, hovering in the air on an oar. She seemed to be a human, but her scent and aura were different. She had long, bright blue hair placed in a high ponytail and she had pink eyes and wore a pink kimono with a white strap around the middle. Rayne’s eye twitched from the sound of her high, giggly voice, it sent a chill dancing up and down her spine.
“Hello there! I’m Botan; you must be Rayne! I’ve heard so much about you, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person!” she finished, beaming with so much spirit and cheerfulness, Rayne could barely refrain from hurling.
“Yeah.... pleasure I’m sure.” Rayne said, still looking down hallways.
“Oh no, the pleasure is all mine! Imagine finally meeting the demon with all the spirit energy one could imagine! It’s unbelievable! I’ve never met a demon that...”
“Hey Botan.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Shut up.” Rayne said calmly, eyes closed, as she walked ahead, leaving Botan in the dust.
“Well that was quite rude! And after I spent all this time searching for you! I was going to escort you to your room but no.....”
“You’re doing it again, but I’m fine, thanks.” Rayne said but as she looked down the halls zigzagging on and on, she got a large “Anime Sweat Drop” on the back of her head and sighed in defeat. “Fine, these halls are starting to get on my nerves anyway.”
Botan laughed at her stubbornness. “All right then, this way!” she squealed and the next thing Rayne knew, she was being carried off at top speed, clinging to the end of Botan’s oar for dear life. Then Botan came to a harsh halt, sending Rayne flying into a wall.
She got up feeling dizzy, rubbing the “Anime Bump” on her head as Botan giggled behind her. Her eye twitched in annoyance, but she soon got over it noticing she was in a hallway full of doors. She blinked and turned to Botan, “So, which one’s mine?”
Botan smiled and jumped off her oar as it disappeared into thin air. She helped Rayne up, and started pointing to several doors.
“Okay this is your room, and on your right is Kuwabara’s room, Yuskue’s to your left, Kurama straight in front of yours, and Hiei is next to him farther down the hall to your right. Everything should be in your room ready for unpacking, but you should get some sleep. My room’s farther down the hall, to your left of Kurama’s room if you need me.” She finished directing her to the room beside her.
Rayne put her hand on the door and sighed turning her head toward Botan who was already leaving. “Hey Botan, wait.”
Botan stopped blinking in surprise as she turned around. “Yes?”
“..........Thanks for helping me.”
Botan smiled, “No problem!”
Rayne forced a smile, “Yeah, but Botan, before you leave there’s something that’s been bothering me. What’s a person like you doing in Spirit World?”
Botan laughed, “Well I work for Koenma as the guide to the River Styx, or I guess from your world you can call me the ‘Grim Reaper.’” She finished, waving as she left, leaving Rayne twitching in unbelief.
Rayne shook her head as she opened the door thinking,
This place just gets weirder and weirder.... and who is Kurama?
The door slowly creaked open and she put her hand inside to flip the light switch as she poked her head inside the door. Her eyes were wide, blinking a few times as she made her way into the room completely, closing the door behind her. Botan wasn’t joking, everything of hers was there, fitting perfectly in this humongous room, but everything in the room was blank. White walls, plain carpet, empty space, and a mattress with a pillow and blanket on the floor. Rayne’s eye twitched in annoyance, but she slammed her backpack on the floor and fell on the mattress with an exhausted sigh, as she turned over curled inside the blanket. It was then she noticed the letter.
“Dear Ms. Rayne Kikuchi,
Hopefully I suspect that you accepted Koenma’s proposal and have decided to live with us and become a part of the team. By your aura I can tell you’re a strong one and look forward to having you on the team, it’s nice to have another girl around here for a change. Oh and by now I’m sure you’ve noticed how blank your room is, but this was all so short notice we had to put something together. Don’t worry though, you’ll have your chance tomorrow to fix it up as you please, and if there’s still daylight you’ll get a chance to fight the boys too! I look forward to seeing you fight, and I hope we can be friends, good luck!
Botan”
Rayne dropped the letter to the floor and turned on her side again, covering herself with the blanket as she slowly fell into the darkness.
She awoke the next morning, early for once, and went to the bathroom, getting in and out of the shower quickly. She slipped into black torn jeans like usual with long stockings striped in black and red, her wallet chain dangling beside her, and a black tee shirt that said in bold dark gray print, “I’M NOT DEPRESSED. I JUST HATE THE WORLD. ENOUGH SAID.” Making sure her dog collar was still secured along with her other usual accessories. She smiled as she buckled the last spike bracelet and left to brush her hair, leaving it long and slightly wavy down her back. She wore combat boots today instead of her usual converse or worn black tennis shoes. She stretched her arms in the air as she walked over to the door and walked out, closing the door behind her.
She dazed out as she walked down the hallways, not noticing when she bumped into someone. She looked up with a grunt to see Botan.
“Oh there you are Rayne! I just went to your room but you weren’t there! He he, well Koenma has given me permission to take you to the Human World to shop for your room. How about it?”
“Hn.” Was the only thing Rayne said as she brushed past her, leaving Botan behind with an “Anime Sweat Drop.” She sighed and ran up next to her again.
“Okay, okay! I guess this means you’d rather go alone, no problem! I’ll just give you your money and....”
“No need.” Rayne stated calmly, fingering inside her pocket until pulling out a handful of jewels. Botan’s eyes sparkled with admiration as they shimmered. Rayne smirked slightly, “Being a thief has its perks.” She said, putting them back in her pocket.
Botan snapped back into reality then, “Okay.... then I’ll get you a portal...”
Rayne stopped, sighing, as she looked at Botan somewhat coldly over her shoulder. “When will you learn? I don’t need any help, and I never asked for it in the first place.” She finished; seeping into a void she had created below her feet, disappearing before Botan’s eyes.
When she reappeared out of the void, she collapsed on her knees breathing heavily from the long trip. Her breath started to balance, and she slowly stood up noticing she was in an alley, by the Music Shack. She put her hands in her pockets, walking calmly down the boulevard of stores until coming to the one she had been searching for, a store that had recently opened much like the “Hot Topic” in America she had once visited only this store sold merchandise specifically for houses. Rayne smiled slightly as she pushed open the door. She browsed for hours, as the sun sunk lower and lower into the distant hills, until she was satisfied. The employees were definitely confused when she had ordered them to place her furniture in an alley, but did as they were told. When she was sure no one was in sight, she opened a void and put her furniture through. After it closed, she opened another that sent her to her old home that was now for sale. She sighed; going inside and walking the halls noticing it nearly empty, except one room, her weapon room. Obviously the toddler was scared she’d use these weapons against him, but she couldn’t just leave them behind. She sighed knowing she couldn’t possibly take them all and decided on her favorites. She took several daggers, shuriken stars; another handgun to replace her lost one, and a katana. She opened another void and took one last look around before jumping in.
Arriving, she took a deep sigh as she noticed her empty room with furniture scattered everywhere. She changed into something more comfortable, rolling up her sleeves as she pushed all the furniture aside, locking the door, and set up to paint. Not wanting her room to be a regular cave, she passed up the black paint and chose a bloody red color. She let the roller soak up the paint and began on a wall; relieved to be rid of the white. After adding the right amount of coats, she let it dry along with the other three walls as she got out a black paint. She got a smaller paintbrush and dipped it into the black paint as she lifted it up to the wall. With swift movements of the paintbrush, she finished on the last of the many black cats she had drawn around her room, finishing the tip of the last cat’s tail. She had always been obsessed with many fantasized creatures like dragons, but she was a true cat lover at heart despite the wolf in her. The cats were designed to show their mischievous, mysterious side, their eyes standing out the most from anything else, their tails swishing freely behind their heads. Rayne laid back on her hands with a small sigh as she looked around in satisfaction, but was forced to stand knowing much more had to be done if she ever wanted to get time to train.
She pushed everything she could out of the room and made sure nothing was on the floor before she centered herself in the middle and concentrated. After a moment her eyes jet open and she released a wave of her energy across the floor. The plain carpet shredded up, leaving only bits that were easy to prick off leaving her floor bare where she replaced it with a fine, black carpet she had chosen herself. After vacuuming around, she finally started for the furniture. The first was a large black dresser with ruby trimming that she placed against the wall near the bathroom door. She then unpacked all of her clothes into the drawers of it and also inside her closet in the other end of the room. There was also a black leather couch and sofa that she placed against the wall on the opposite wall of her doorway near the windowsill that she placed several pillows among the window seat.
It was then she dragged her monstrous bed against the wall left of the doorway and threw the old mattress out into the hallway along with the pillow and blanket that laid on it. She walked back into the bathroom and retrieved the sheets, comforter, and pillowcases. The sheets were a mix between satin and Egyptian fabric of a silky red wine color, and the comforter was completely black with a black panther walking among a jungle floor on it designed very beautifully and outlined so that the panther was noticeable in all the black, and the pillows each were either black or the red color of her sheets. From the opposite wall to her bed she struggled to put an entertainment center up with a large television, included with VHD and DVD player. As she put away the DVDs she had brought along with other videos, she found hidden in the bottom of a box, her old PS2. She rubbed the back of her head wondering how long it’s been, but shrugged as she set it up and put away her video games. As she made her way into the closet to stack the shelves, she noticed spare room on a wall and smiled as she hammered in hooks and small bars to hang her weapons that she had brought. She walked back out and set up her stereo right to her doorway and stacked up her CDs beside it as she walked into the bathroom. She put away towels and rags into the closet as well as hanging a few towels and setting out some rags for use inside the shower/bathtub along with the shampoos, body wash, scents, razors, and soaps. She made sure to put away the toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, face wash, hand soaps, as she set out her hair and toothbrush. She lit several candles and set them along the room and bathroom and lighted an incense to let the aroma consume the room in an embrace. She looked at her bed desirably with tired eyes, but dragged herself back into the bathroom to relieve her of the sweat with a shower. After cleaning up after herself she dressed into a spaghetti top with sweat pants as she made her way to the bed.
Too far.
She collapsed then and there on to the floor and blacked out, snoozing exhaustedly.
(Ketchup: *Anime Dizzy Eyes* Damn that had to have taken me at least ten minutes to think up all that.... Oh sorry! Hope you like your room; carry on! )
~*~ Meanwhile~*~ (Earlier)
It is downstairs where the Yu Yu Hakusho Gang is scattered about boridly carrying on when a loud thump is heard upstairs. It was from Rayne’s room, they soon realized, and left to greet her only to find the door locked and no sound behind it. Muttering in confusion, they retreated downstairs again only to hear heavy things being shoved across the floor,
Again from Rayne’s room.
They ignored it, knowing very well she hates to be disturbed, and continue listening as she walks back and forth across the room, carrying, moving, or lifting something all over until she settled to an easy walk where soon after the sound of running water followed. She was obviously getting a shower, they presumed, as she got out and there was silence as she dressed, and more silence there after.
And then something was heard pummeling to the ground with a large thump where nothing but that same eerie silence followed.
Aggravated and even some concerned, they made their way back upstairs finding the door still locked. They banged on the door, and again, calling out her name but she did not answer. There was silence again, but mainly a frustrated silence. Yuskue kicked down the door in his impatience to find her lain across the floor, her chest moving up and down steadily.
They all got *Anime Sweat Drops* on their heads as Kurama walked beside her and lifted her up, and laid her in her bed, covering her with the comforter. He looked back to see Yuskue and Kuwabara already looking about the room, mainly awing at the entertainment center. He sighed, but blinked in surprise noticing Botan had come in the room and was scolding them harshly as she took away what they held of hers and scooted them out. Kurama smiled faintly as he looked back to her and saw Hiei still there as well.
“She’s seems to be such an angry girl the way she acts around us.... and yet, right now as she sleeps, she couldn’t look more peaceful...” Kurama murmured knowing his friend had easily heard him.
Hiei looked away from the sleeping girl, drawing his hands in his pockets as he stalked away muttering his famous “Hn.” as he did.
Kurama chuckled silently, Hiei had never been one to share his own thoughts that he knew, or was it something he just couldn’t say? He looked back at the girl one last time before he walked out, closing the door after him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Her body had strained itself nearly to its climax, but she was one too stubborn to rest until she was at full health, instead, she got out of bed and showered. She redressed into her usual dog collar, accessories, slightly baggy jeans and a black shirt with the words,
“Don’t call me insane, weird, different, freaky, crazy, or psychotic.... I take it as a compliment.” As she walked out of her room, stretching her arms high in the air as she walked along.
She arrived in the common room where the gang was scattered about doing their-own thing. Kuwabara and Yuskue at it again in some fighting video game, Hiei staring in a never ending daze out the window, but where was Shuichi? Rayne took in a deep breath noticing an alluring smell. She sniffed again.
Food.
She walked away from the common room and into the kitchen, Yuskue and Kuwabara let her go unnoticed as they were glued to the television and Hiei just seemed to not acknowledge her existence, still focused on outside the window as he sat with his knees up to him on the windowsill.
Rayne followed her nose toward the delicious fragrance only to bump into someone. She opened her eyes and saw Shuichi who turned around beaming with his usual smiling.
Rayne’s stomach turned.
“Good morning Rayne, nice to see you about again, how are you feeling? We found you on the floor last night...” he finished, his words dripping in concern.
“I was just tired is all, I shouldn’t of pushed myself like that, but I would of rather finished my room then so I can fight now.” She ended punching her hands together eagerly.
He chuckled slightly. “I suppose so, you have quite a determination and we saw what you’ve done with your room, it’s fascinating.... but you must really like cats! ^_^”
Rayne tore away from his gaze a moment, blushing in slight embarrassment. “What of it Shuichi? It’s no different from your girly obsession with roses.” She smirked in triumph but it soon faded away noticing him switch from a slight blush to a look of paleness.
“You know me only as Shuichi Minamino, but, you see, that is merely my human name that I use while on earth. Here I am known as.... Kurama.” He gave a faint smile looking up to see her expression, but she merely shrugged.
“It’s not that big a deal. I’ve switched with many names in my past to cover my identity. Heh, just another way for a thief to avoid being caught I suppose.” She rubbed the bottom of her nose with her index finger smiling slyly.
Kurama smiled back followed by the echoing growl of Rayne’s stomach.
Both her and Kurama got *Anime Sweat Drops* as she rubbed the back of her head, laughing nervously.
“I take it you’re hungry. Well you missed breakfast so I guess I’ll start lunch now.”
“Thanks...” she said as she turned and stalked back into the common room where the two fools were still glued to the television, yelling and cursing and shoving each other aside. Rayne sighed as she walked past them, ignoring the feeling of Hiei’s eyes secretly watching her as she walked back outside.
She could not stand to be cooped up inside. Surrounded by walls, it suffocated her. She was a wolf and wolves needed to run with the wind outdoors. She walked awhile looking at her feet, kicking stray pebbles aside until she came upon a large oak. She jumped to a thick branch that would surely hold strong and sat down against the trunk, watching the sun that only continued to sink into the hills as the day passed on. She took a deep sigh, closing her eyes and letting the wind fly by her and nip at her hair, and before she knew it...
She had fallen asleep.
No longer than an hour later she was awoken when she heard shouting below her. Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked down dazedly.
It was Yuskue. Here to bring her back to Koenma’s no doubt.
“C’mon! Kurama finished lunch, it’s time to chow down!” he yelled anxiously up to her.
“How odd. I thought you and the other fool would have already devoured every morsel, but it seems even living food disposals have hearts. Fine then. Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”
Yuskue scratched his nose innocently yet slyly at that remark but nodded as he turned around putting his hands behind his head as he walked off.
Rayne watched him leave and sighed as she turned around and leaped off the branch, landing perfectly on her feet seconds later. She walked back with no haste, looking up at the skies still dazedly as she finally came back to what she now may as well call “home.”
She walked inside, the door clicking shut behind her as she came into the kitchen. The others were just finishing, but there was still a plate of food saved. Rayne would smile, but refused to show it as she took her place at the table, eating silently. As she stood and turned to clean her plate another stranger stood before her.
It was a male with short brown hair and chocolate eyes wearing nearly all blue with a long red scarf around his shoulders. He had “Jr.” stamped on his forehead where his bangs parted and a blue pacifier was in his mouth.
Rayne’s eye twitched as she recognized the scent.
“Hello Koenma. In this form it’s an improvement, but you should lose the pacifier.” She stated in amusement.
He scoffed and looked back up at her. “Enough Rayne. Now that you have eaten I think it’s time you begin training with the boys.” Koenma finished showing even a toddler could be serious, but she really couldn’t call him a toddler now, could she?
Rayne nodded anxiously awaiting the fight as one after another, everyone piled into an arena just outside. The courtyard was enormous, marked in several spots to indicate a ring in which two or more would quarrel, while at the far end was a large wall that had a hook a punching bag hung from and bars to hold several kinds of weapons.
Rayne had become too eager to contain herself, without warning she walked into the large ring. She bent her knees, stretching every which way and as she stood to crack her knuckles she stared back at the others, begging for an opponent.
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Martial Arts / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.22.2005 | Pages: 27 | Words: 36.4K | Visits: 197 | Status: Completed
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“How do you know that I’m a thief?”
“You couldn’t contain yourself in taking my hat, if you want something you take it, claiming it as yours. That has always been the theory of thieves, but for your family in particular. Your family’s line has never been caught, living the rest of their days happy in riches, training the next to inherit the fortune when they die. But now I’ve made history. I’ve caught a descendant of the legendary Kikuchi line. “The toddler, known as Koenma, stated.
“YOU BASTARD!!!!! NEVER SAY THAT NAME!!!! NEVER!!!!” Rayne yelled hysterically clenching her fists tightly.
Dark energy emitted from her hands, breaking her free of the ropes. She held her head in her hands a headache forming in her mind, she barely managed to squint her eyes open to look outside to the window. Fear struck her dead on. It was the night of the full moon. The headache continued to burn within her mind, screams that sounded like screeches coming from her. She was causing the room to fall into shambles, the others watching in unbelief. Wind picked up her hair, her eyes faded blood red, and finally, she released a long, screeching howl that sent a bright light escaping from her body, nearly blinding the others. She arose in her wolf form, a black wolf with gray eyes that burned with ferocity. Hearing that name again.... being reminded of her past like that.... she couldn’t stand it. She bared her teeth at the others causing them all to take a step back as she panicked, looking for a way to escape. Her screeches managed to break the window glass, she noticed, and smirked inside her mind as she leaped out, landing on her feet. The gang followed after her, her eyes widened and she turned around and ran. She picked up speed, letting herself go to just run her heart out, or at least until she was forced to come to a harsh stop. She looked ahead of her where a beautiful, yet gigantic lake spread across the land, her only hope to get away. She took a deep breath, hoping that her nervousness wouldn’t stop her from being able to
Walk across the water.
After all, she was still part water demon. She took her first step, relieved to see her paws standing firm on the flowing river below. Her nervous pacing soon turned into a sprint as her hearing picked up the voices of the four fools, still hot on her trail. Her teeth were grinding in frustration as she ran only faster knowing that minor detour wouldn’t hold them long. She needed shelter, and she needed to find it quickly. She came to the shore at last, breathing heavily as she continued her search in the darkness of the night, easily able to see with her eyesight in wolf form. She slowed down to a walk, her tongue hanging from her mouth, pleating her to return to the river for a drink, but she didn’t. She found her shelter; a damp, cool cave that kept her well hidden thanks to her black coat, she blended in perfectly.
Her eyelids soon became too much for her to bear, and slowly, ever so slowly, she receded into darkness. She had a dream; or should I say nightmare? Her body was trembling, as her dream was black, nothing but black. She stood there, an innocent child looking around to find dead bodies lying around her; the bodies of those she cherished and she was the one dripping in blood. She looked at the blood, backing away, clutching her head screaming it wasn’t her fault, it wasn’t, only making her teeth grow into fangs and her eyes glow red. She fell to her knees, howling in pain.
Her eyes jet-open; her breath heavy.
She laid her head in-between her two paws, ears down; whining quietly. She fought the urge to cry, crying showed weakness, helplessness, worthlessness; she could not degrade herself to that level. She closed her eyes again and listened to the noises around her. She heard the wind, the stream, the scurrying animals, but not the sound of voices, not the clutter of footsteps. She sighed in relief, and stood, cautiously daring to head to the peak of the cave. She looked around once more, she was still unsure, but her stomach made the decision for her when she noticed a rabbit hopping nearby. Again her tongue hung out, saliva dripping in hunger. Her animal instincts over-powered her, and she found herself creeping behind the rabbit, hidden behind the bushes as it lay in the open.
She pounced.
Horrified, the rabbit desperately tried to escape, but the true animal in Rayne released and she became brutal. Her foot stomped down on the fragile back of the rabbit, crushing its bones as she began tearing at its flesh, the blood oozing all over her mouth and staining the spring green grass. Her sharp fangs dug into the skin, spitting fur occasionally, tearing and slashing it into smaller pieces that were easier for her to devour. She finally took a breath that she had been holding for quite a while, in absolute relief. She sighed, just now noticing the blood trickling from her mouth. She licked what she could away and retreated to the lake for a drink. She blinked, noticing the reflection of the rising sun. She smiled and walked to the hills where the rays of the morning dawn caught her dead on.
She closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the rays soak and cleanse her, she felt the wolf blood dangerously retreating away, making her flinch as the blood balanced and the transformation was over for now, so her body returned.
The night of the full moon was at last over.
She opened her eyes with a sigh of relief as she then noticed that yet again her transformation had shredded her clothing, leaving her nude. But it did not faze her, she had long since gotten used to it. She faced her palm to the ground, a void opening up and spitting out a duffel bag she had stored for these situations. She got on a pair of faded gray sweats and a black tang top as she stayed sitting on the ground for a while, playing with the license of her dog collar. She relaxed for the first time in that night full of angst, finally at peace as she listened to the voices of the forest around her.
Then a twig snapped nearby.
She growled under her breath, her eyes ever so slowly fading red again in frustration. She looked at the corner of her eye noticing it was Hiei, just jumping to another tree branch. Her fist was clenched and she reached at her waist for a shuriken but they weren’t there. She reached for her katana, which also wasn’t there, and nor were the daggers in their sheathes usually on her ankles or the handgun on her upper arm. Her eye twitched and her teeth were grinding.
“Fuck.” She mumbled under her breath knowing her spirit energy was far too low now to stand a chance as she sighed, her eyes closing.
She opened them to find a katana blade pressing against her throat and a hand placed firmly on her shoulder. She diverted her attention the other way, not even bothering to look at Hiei, which made him press harder in aggravation. She sighed and looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Well are you here to take me back or not? I grow tired of these games.” She finished with a sigh once again letting her gaze drift above her. But, suddenly, Hiei leaned above her smirking. She narrowed her eyes confusedly at first until noticing that he had removed his bandana to reveal a third eye. She merely gazed at it a second before she felt herself loosing touch with reality. She was drifting away, looking away into the eye that glowed a bright blue, until she heard a voice.
“Hn. Baka, you stared into it far too long.”
She recognized it as Hiei’s voice, slowly blinking a few times to realize her eyes were covered with a cloth. It was removed moments later where she found herself in a very familiar office, chained to that same Goddamn chair...
~*~Hiei’s Direction From Earlier ~*~
I jumped from tree to tree searching for the worthless onna the toddler seemed so fond of. Why? I did not even know myself, it was far better than prison, that I knew, but I would rather slit her throat now and save the time instead of this pointless chasing. I sighed inwardly, jumping another tree branch, but my foot slid too far to the right and snapped a small twig on the tree branch I had just landed on.
I gritted my teeth in frustration, cursing under my breath, as I knew she heard me, but jumped to the next tree either way. She was tense; I could sense her breathing was heavy, and she seemed to be searching for something only to find nothing and sigh, closing her eyes.
That let her guard down.
I immediately made my way next to her, having the blade of my katana at her neck and held onto her shoulder to ensure no escape. I smirked in triumph, but she made no effort to look at me, she just looked the other way, not afraid for her life. That aggravated me, I so loved that look of trembling fear, and yet she could just sit there staring without a care in the world at death showing nothing, it was all a blank. I pressed my katana harder on her neck, noticing a small trickle of blood escape down her neck, but she did not flinch, she only sighed.
She stared at me dead on with those eyes; those eyes that showed nothing, those eyes I had now loathed, from the corner of her eye asking me, “Well are you here to take me back or not? I grow tired of these games.”
I did not reply to her; I couldn’t. I expected her to fight; she was, after all, a thief, one stubborn and rebellious type that refuses confinement, just as I do. And yet she was willingly going to let me take her, there was no fun in that. I liked to play with my prey, confuse and torment my prey, before pouncing, but no, she did not give me the satisfaction. She looked above into the skies as my teeth were grinding, my eyes flashing that blinding blue, even the Jagan, which caused my bandana to fall. I caught it, grasping it firmly, as I leaned above her, looking down at her with a smirk. She seemed annoyed at first, but then, at last, at long last, her eyes went dull and blank again, she had learned fear.
I thought I’d feel proud, but somehow I wasn’t. I sighed, and covered my hand over her eyes, making sure she would not look into the Jagan any longer. She had went unconscious for the moment, so I laid her on the grass as I secured the bandana around my forehead and picked her up as I headed back to the toddler.
She was chained to the same chair this time, blindfolded even, but she did not wake.
I sighed, and murmured within her hearing, “Hn. Baka, you stared into it far too long.” And soon enough, she awoke.
~*~Back to Rayne’s Point of View~*~
She blinked several times adjusting to the room’s light instead of the darkness of the blindfold. Once her vision was clear again, she glared at the toddler. His eyes widened momentarily before he scoffed and turned to the side, returning to his chair. He seemed to be stalling on purpose, only aggravating Rayne further.
“Why have you brought me here? I have not done anything wrong in the ningen[human] world, or at least anything I can remember.” She finally spoke, the eerie silence striking her nerves.
“I cannot have a demon with powers such as yours living in the Human World; it’s far too dangerous. And the fact that you are the heir of the Kikuchi thief line only makes things more difficult, but you confuse me more than any of your ancestors that I have dealt with in my time. You’re a mystery to me, Rayne; it seems you just keep surprising me. As far as my knowledge has told me, you were strictly bound to only water, ice, shadow, and ghost, and yet you’ve transformed into a wolf before us and you also have quite a vermin inside you that’s struggling for control.”
She smirked at that last comment, hardly a smirk, but it was still there.
“It’s not that I’m possessed by a ‘vermin’ or anything.... I just have a lot of different demon powers within me and it seems it’s hard to keep them all in balance at times.... but what I’m really trying to do is not for a toddler like you to know.” She finished glaring at him.
She was surprised to see him only laugh. “All right, I think I understand now. You have so many demon powers; they’re unbalancing each other, which is masking one of them. And so, you’re only training yourself to such extremes to have the strength to balance them. Yes, I see.”
She blinked, her eyes wide with awe. She scoffed, looking to the side with a “Hn.”
Koenma had a smile behind his pacifier. “Looks like I’ve got another Hiei on the team, heh.” Koenma said with a small laugh.
She cocked an eyebrow, “Team?”
Koenma nodded. “What you can do in your training is limited while in the Human World, at risk a human sees you, and it’s obvious you haven’t a clue how to even begin regular training. But, if you agree to join Team Uremeshi, then I will assign you to a strict training schedule with the four boys. They may not look it, but they have potential when it comes to martial arts and could help you get stronger. Besides, I can just as easily have you locked up at will with what an unbelievable record you have, but I’m willing to let it slide just this once. “
She looked taken back a moment, sighing as she stared at the floor in a silence. It took several minutes before she replied in a murmur, “I really don’t know what to do. I’ve always been on my own, and that’s the way I like it. I don’t except help from others, I do things my own way, and so I’m sorry. I cannot accept your offer. But I can’t let you imprison me either, wolves cannot stand confinement, they like to roam free, and run with the wind at their tails. So, what will you do?” she finished, laughing slightly with hysteria dripping from her last word.
Koenma sighed. “I expected as much. Thieves have been known for their stubbornness, but I thought I’d at least give it a try, but still... I’m sure we can come up with something.”
“And what are you gonna do; bribe me? There is no reason for me to stay here, so if you have nothing better to say, I will leave now.” Rayne finished, surprisingly escaped from the chains.
“Please wait! I can help you release the vermin inside you!!!” Koenma screamed, standing on the large desk.
She stopped, glaring at him coldly over her shoulder. “And what makes you think you can do what I have spent nearly my whole life trying to accomplish? I will manage on my own one way or another!” she screamed about to make a dash for the door noticing it closed and locked tight.
“I asked the boys to wait outside, I thought it would be best to keep these personal matters secret, but they’re most likely eavesdropping anyway.” Koenma finished scratching his head.
Rayne sighed in defeat. “All right, you get a chance. I’ll at least give you a try, and join this little team of yours, but if all doesn’t go well, your head is mine.” Rayne finished, her eyes flashing red a moment, showing her fangs, as she turned and banged opened the large doors with ease despite their weight and enormous size.
DOMINOES!!!
Koenma had told the truth, they were eavesdropping, each ear close to the door. They were slammed on top of each other when the door slammed open, each piling onto another.
Rayne looked at them from the corner of her eye. “Bakas.” She muttered just loud enough for them to hear as she tucked her hands inside her pockets and walked off, despite the fact she had no idea where she was going.
She wandered the maze of halls, her eye twitching in annoyance and a large “Anime Vein” on her head, as she seemed to be going in circles.
“Well it would appear someone is lost.” She heard someone say behind her, making her stop in her tracks, her eyes narrowing from the corner of her eye.
The stranger laughed, coming next to her, hovering in the air on an oar. She seemed to be a human, but her scent and aura were different. She had long, bright blue hair placed in a high ponytail and she had pink eyes and wore a pink kimono with a white strap around the middle. Rayne’s eye twitched from the sound of her high, giggly voice, it sent a chill dancing up and down her spine.
“Hello there! I’m Botan; you must be Rayne! I’ve heard so much about you, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person!” she finished, beaming with so much spirit and cheerfulness, Rayne could barely refrain from hurling.
“Yeah.... pleasure I’m sure.” Rayne said, still looking down hallways.
“Oh no, the pleasure is all mine! Imagine finally meeting the demon with all the spirit energy one could imagine! It’s unbelievable! I’ve never met a demon that...”
“Hey Botan.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Shut up.” Rayne said calmly, eyes closed, as she walked ahead, leaving Botan in the dust.
“Well that was quite rude! And after I spent all this time searching for you! I was going to escort you to your room but no.....”
“You’re doing it again, but I’m fine, thanks.” Rayne said but as she looked down the halls zigzagging on and on, she got a large “Anime Sweat Drop” on the back of her head and sighed in defeat. “Fine, these halls are starting to get on my nerves anyway.”
Botan laughed at her stubbornness. “All right then, this way!” she squealed and the next thing Rayne knew, she was being carried off at top speed, clinging to the end of Botan’s oar for dear life. Then Botan came to a harsh halt, sending Rayne flying into a wall.
She got up feeling dizzy, rubbing the “Anime Bump” on her head as Botan giggled behind her. Her eye twitched in annoyance, but she soon got over it noticing she was in a hallway full of doors. She blinked and turned to Botan, “So, which one’s mine?”
Botan smiled and jumped off her oar as it disappeared into thin air. She helped Rayne up, and started pointing to several doors.
“Okay this is your room, and on your right is Kuwabara’s room, Yuskue’s to your left, Kurama straight in front of yours, and Hiei is next to him farther down the hall to your right. Everything should be in your room ready for unpacking, but you should get some sleep. My room’s farther down the hall, to your left of Kurama’s room if you need me.” She finished directing her to the room beside her.
Rayne put her hand on the door and sighed turning her head toward Botan who was already leaving. “Hey Botan, wait.”
Botan stopped blinking in surprise as she turned around. “Yes?”
“..........Thanks for helping me.”
Botan smiled, “No problem!”
Rayne forced a smile, “Yeah, but Botan, before you leave there’s something that’s been bothering me. What’s a person like you doing in Spirit World?”
Botan laughed, “Well I work for Koenma as the guide to the River Styx, or I guess from your world you can call me the ‘Grim Reaper.’” She finished, waving as she left, leaving Rayne twitching in unbelief.
Rayne shook her head as she opened the door thinking,
This place just gets weirder and weirder.... and who is Kurama?
The door slowly creaked open and she put her hand inside to flip the light switch as she poked her head inside the door. Her eyes were wide, blinking a few times as she made her way into the room completely, closing the door behind her. Botan wasn’t joking, everything of hers was there, fitting perfectly in this humongous room, but everything in the room was blank. White walls, plain carpet, empty space, and a mattress with a pillow and blanket on the floor. Rayne’s eye twitched in annoyance, but she slammed her backpack on the floor and fell on the mattress with an exhausted sigh, as she turned over curled inside the blanket. It was then she noticed the letter.
“Dear Ms. Rayne Kikuchi,
Hopefully I suspect that you accepted Koenma’s proposal and have decided to live with us and become a part of the team. By your aura I can tell you’re a strong one and look forward to having you on the team, it’s nice to have another girl around here for a change. Oh and by now I’m sure you’ve noticed how blank your room is, but this was all so short notice we had to put something together. Don’t worry though, you’ll have your chance tomorrow to fix it up as you please, and if there’s still daylight you’ll get a chance to fight the boys too! I look forward to seeing you fight, and I hope we can be friends, good luck!
Botan”
Rayne dropped the letter to the floor and turned on her side again, covering herself with the blanket as she slowly fell into the darkness.
She awoke the next morning, early for once, and went to the bathroom, getting in and out of the shower quickly. She slipped into black torn jeans like usual with long stockings striped in black and red, her wallet chain dangling beside her, and a black tee shirt that said in bold dark gray print, “I’M NOT DEPRESSED. I JUST HATE THE WORLD. ENOUGH SAID.” Making sure her dog collar was still secured along with her other usual accessories. She smiled as she buckled the last spike bracelet and left to brush her hair, leaving it long and slightly wavy down her back. She wore combat boots today instead of her usual converse or worn black tennis shoes. She stretched her arms in the air as she walked over to the door and walked out, closing the door behind her.
She dazed out as she walked down the hallways, not noticing when she bumped into someone. She looked up with a grunt to see Botan.
“Oh there you are Rayne! I just went to your room but you weren’t there! He he, well Koenma has given me permission to take you to the Human World to shop for your room. How about it?”
“Hn.” Was the only thing Rayne said as she brushed past her, leaving Botan behind with an “Anime Sweat Drop.” She sighed and ran up next to her again.
“Okay, okay! I guess this means you’d rather go alone, no problem! I’ll just give you your money and....”
“No need.” Rayne stated calmly, fingering inside her pocket until pulling out a handful of jewels. Botan’s eyes sparkled with admiration as they shimmered. Rayne smirked slightly, “Being a thief has its perks.” She said, putting them back in her pocket.
Botan snapped back into reality then, “Okay.... then I’ll get you a portal...”
Rayne stopped, sighing, as she looked at Botan somewhat coldly over her shoulder. “When will you learn? I don’t need any help, and I never asked for it in the first place.” She finished; seeping into a void she had created below her feet, disappearing before Botan’s eyes.
When she reappeared out of the void, she collapsed on her knees breathing heavily from the long trip. Her breath started to balance, and she slowly stood up noticing she was in an alley, by the Music Shack. She put her hands in her pockets, walking calmly down the boulevard of stores until coming to the one she had been searching for, a store that had recently opened much like the “Hot Topic” in America she had once visited only this store sold merchandise specifically for houses. Rayne smiled slightly as she pushed open the door. She browsed for hours, as the sun sunk lower and lower into the distant hills, until she was satisfied. The employees were definitely confused when she had ordered them to place her furniture in an alley, but did as they were told. When she was sure no one was in sight, she opened a void and put her furniture through. After it closed, she opened another that sent her to her old home that was now for sale. She sighed; going inside and walking the halls noticing it nearly empty, except one room, her weapon room. Obviously the toddler was scared she’d use these weapons against him, but she couldn’t just leave them behind. She sighed knowing she couldn’t possibly take them all and decided on her favorites. She took several daggers, shuriken stars; another handgun to replace her lost one, and a katana. She opened another void and took one last look around before jumping in.
Arriving, she took a deep sigh as she noticed her empty room with furniture scattered everywhere. She changed into something more comfortable, rolling up her sleeves as she pushed all the furniture aside, locking the door, and set up to paint. Not wanting her room to be a regular cave, she passed up the black paint and chose a bloody red color. She let the roller soak up the paint and began on a wall; relieved to be rid of the white. After adding the right amount of coats, she let it dry along with the other three walls as she got out a black paint. She got a smaller paintbrush and dipped it into the black paint as she lifted it up to the wall. With swift movements of the paintbrush, she finished on the last of the many black cats she had drawn around her room, finishing the tip of the last cat’s tail. She had always been obsessed with many fantasized creatures like dragons, but she was a true cat lover at heart despite the wolf in her. The cats were designed to show their mischievous, mysterious side, their eyes standing out the most from anything else, their tails swishing freely behind their heads. Rayne laid back on her hands with a small sigh as she looked around in satisfaction, but was forced to stand knowing much more had to be done if she ever wanted to get time to train.
She pushed everything she could out of the room and made sure nothing was on the floor before she centered herself in the middle and concentrated. After a moment her eyes jet open and she released a wave of her energy across the floor. The plain carpet shredded up, leaving only bits that were easy to prick off leaving her floor bare where she replaced it with a fine, black carpet she had chosen herself. After vacuuming around, she finally started for the furniture. The first was a large black dresser with ruby trimming that she placed against the wall near the bathroom door. She then unpacked all of her clothes into the drawers of it and also inside her closet in the other end of the room. There was also a black leather couch and sofa that she placed against the wall on the opposite wall of her doorway near the windowsill that she placed several pillows among the window seat.
It was then she dragged her monstrous bed against the wall left of the doorway and threw the old mattress out into the hallway along with the pillow and blanket that laid on it. She walked back into the bathroom and retrieved the sheets, comforter, and pillowcases. The sheets were a mix between satin and Egyptian fabric of a silky red wine color, and the comforter was completely black with a black panther walking among a jungle floor on it designed very beautifully and outlined so that the panther was noticeable in all the black, and the pillows each were either black or the red color of her sheets. From the opposite wall to her bed she struggled to put an entertainment center up with a large television, included with VHD and DVD player. As she put away the DVDs she had brought along with other videos, she found hidden in the bottom of a box, her old PS2. She rubbed the back of her head wondering how long it’s been, but shrugged as she set it up and put away her video games. As she made her way into the closet to stack the shelves, she noticed spare room on a wall and smiled as she hammered in hooks and small bars to hang her weapons that she had brought. She walked back out and set up her stereo right to her doorway and stacked up her CDs beside it as she walked into the bathroom. She put away towels and rags into the closet as well as hanging a few towels and setting out some rags for use inside the shower/bathtub along with the shampoos, body wash, scents, razors, and soaps. She made sure to put away the toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, face wash, hand soaps, as she set out her hair and toothbrush. She lit several candles and set them along the room and bathroom and lighted an incense to let the aroma consume the room in an embrace. She looked at her bed desirably with tired eyes, but dragged herself back into the bathroom to relieve her of the sweat with a shower. After cleaning up after herself she dressed into a spaghetti top with sweat pants as she made her way to the bed.
Too far.
She collapsed then and there on to the floor and blacked out, snoozing exhaustedly.
(Ketchup: *Anime Dizzy Eyes* Damn that had to have taken me at least ten minutes to think up all that.... Oh sorry! Hope you like your room; carry on! )
~*~ Meanwhile~*~ (Earlier)
It is downstairs where the Yu Yu Hakusho Gang is scattered about boridly carrying on when a loud thump is heard upstairs. It was from Rayne’s room, they soon realized, and left to greet her only to find the door locked and no sound behind it. Muttering in confusion, they retreated downstairs again only to hear heavy things being shoved across the floor,
Again from Rayne’s room.
They ignored it, knowing very well she hates to be disturbed, and continue listening as she walks back and forth across the room, carrying, moving, or lifting something all over until she settled to an easy walk where soon after the sound of running water followed. She was obviously getting a shower, they presumed, as she got out and there was silence as she dressed, and more silence there after.
And then something was heard pummeling to the ground with a large thump where nothing but that same eerie silence followed.
Aggravated and even some concerned, they made their way back upstairs finding the door still locked. They banged on the door, and again, calling out her name but she did not answer. There was silence again, but mainly a frustrated silence. Yuskue kicked down the door in his impatience to find her lain across the floor, her chest moving up and down steadily.
They all got *Anime Sweat Drops* on their heads as Kurama walked beside her and lifted her up, and laid her in her bed, covering her with the comforter. He looked back to see Yuskue and Kuwabara already looking about the room, mainly awing at the entertainment center. He sighed, but blinked in surprise noticing Botan had come in the room and was scolding them harshly as she took away what they held of hers and scooted them out. Kurama smiled faintly as he looked back to her and saw Hiei still there as well.
“She’s seems to be such an angry girl the way she acts around us.... and yet, right now as she sleeps, she couldn’t look more peaceful...” Kurama murmured knowing his friend had easily heard him.
Hiei looked away from the sleeping girl, drawing his hands in his pockets as he stalked away muttering his famous “Hn.” as he did.
Kurama chuckled silently, Hiei had never been one to share his own thoughts that he knew, or was it something he just couldn’t say? He looked back at the girl one last time before he walked out, closing the door after him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Her body had strained itself nearly to its climax, but she was one too stubborn to rest until she was at full health, instead, she got out of bed and showered. She redressed into her usual dog collar, accessories, slightly baggy jeans and a black shirt with the words,
“Don’t call me insane, weird, different, freaky, crazy, or psychotic.... I take it as a compliment.” As she walked out of her room, stretching her arms high in the air as she walked along.
She arrived in the common room where the gang was scattered about doing their-own thing. Kuwabara and Yuskue at it again in some fighting video game, Hiei staring in a never ending daze out the window, but where was Shuichi? Rayne took in a deep breath noticing an alluring smell. She sniffed again.
Food.
She walked away from the common room and into the kitchen, Yuskue and Kuwabara let her go unnoticed as they were glued to the television and Hiei just seemed to not acknowledge her existence, still focused on outside the window as he sat with his knees up to him on the windowsill.
Rayne followed her nose toward the delicious fragrance only to bump into someone. She opened her eyes and saw Shuichi who turned around beaming with his usual smiling.
Rayne’s stomach turned.
“Good morning Rayne, nice to see you about again, how are you feeling? We found you on the floor last night...” he finished, his words dripping in concern.
“I was just tired is all, I shouldn’t of pushed myself like that, but I would of rather finished my room then so I can fight now.” She ended punching her hands together eagerly.
He chuckled slightly. “I suppose so, you have quite a determination and we saw what you’ve done with your room, it’s fascinating.... but you must really like cats! ^_^”
Rayne tore away from his gaze a moment, blushing in slight embarrassment. “What of it Shuichi? It’s no different from your girly obsession with roses.” She smirked in triumph but it soon faded away noticing him switch from a slight blush to a look of paleness.
“You know me only as Shuichi Minamino, but, you see, that is merely my human name that I use while on earth. Here I am known as.... Kurama.” He gave a faint smile looking up to see her expression, but she merely shrugged.
“It’s not that big a deal. I’ve switched with many names in my past to cover my identity. Heh, just another way for a thief to avoid being caught I suppose.” She rubbed the bottom of her nose with her index finger smiling slyly.
Kurama smiled back followed by the echoing growl of Rayne’s stomach.
Both her and Kurama got *Anime Sweat Drops* as she rubbed the back of her head, laughing nervously.
“I take it you’re hungry. Well you missed breakfast so I guess I’ll start lunch now.”
“Thanks...” she said as she turned and stalked back into the common room where the two fools were still glued to the television, yelling and cursing and shoving each other aside. Rayne sighed as she walked past them, ignoring the feeling of Hiei’s eyes secretly watching her as she walked back outside.
She could not stand to be cooped up inside. Surrounded by walls, it suffocated her. She was a wolf and wolves needed to run with the wind outdoors. She walked awhile looking at her feet, kicking stray pebbles aside until she came upon a large oak. She jumped to a thick branch that would surely hold strong and sat down against the trunk, watching the sun that only continued to sink into the hills as the day passed on. She took a deep sigh, closing her eyes and letting the wind fly by her and nip at her hair, and before she knew it...
She had fallen asleep.
No longer than an hour later she was awoken when she heard shouting below her. Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked down dazedly.
It was Yuskue. Here to bring her back to Koenma’s no doubt.
“C’mon! Kurama finished lunch, it’s time to chow down!” he yelled anxiously up to her.
“How odd. I thought you and the other fool would have already devoured every morsel, but it seems even living food disposals have hearts. Fine then. Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”
Yuskue scratched his nose innocently yet slyly at that remark but nodded as he turned around putting his hands behind his head as he walked off.
Rayne watched him leave and sighed as she turned around and leaped off the branch, landing perfectly on her feet seconds later. She walked back with no haste, looking up at the skies still dazedly as she finally came back to what she now may as well call “home.”
She walked inside, the door clicking shut behind her as she came into the kitchen. The others were just finishing, but there was still a plate of food saved. Rayne would smile, but refused to show it as she took her place at the table, eating silently. As she stood and turned to clean her plate another stranger stood before her.
It was a male with short brown hair and chocolate eyes wearing nearly all blue with a long red scarf around his shoulders. He had “Jr.” stamped on his forehead where his bangs parted and a blue pacifier was in his mouth.
Rayne’s eye twitched as she recognized the scent.
“Hello Koenma. In this form it’s an improvement, but you should lose the pacifier.” She stated in amusement.
He scoffed and looked back up at her. “Enough Rayne. Now that you have eaten I think it’s time you begin training with the boys.” Koenma finished showing even a toddler could be serious, but she really couldn’t call him a toddler now, could she?
Rayne nodded anxiously awaiting the fight as one after another, everyone piled into an arena just outside. The courtyard was enormous, marked in several spots to indicate a ring in which two or more would quarrel, while at the far end was a large wall that had a hook a punching bag hung from and bars to hold several kinds of weapons.
Rayne had become too eager to contain herself, without warning she walked into the large ring. She bent her knees, stretching every which way and as she stood to crack her knuckles she stared back at the others, begging for an opponent.
Anime/Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Martial Arts / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.22.2005 | Pages: 27 | Words: 36.4K | Visits: 197 | Status: Completed
Walking on Water ~background info and story introduction~
~*~I shall begin the tale far back in the past where nothing but death continues so let us fall into the darkest, coldest pits of shadows and let no fear be shown.... for there is no escape of death...as it has become a part of this one girl's life...so has the anger and sorrow she has been forced to endure...so let us travel into her past.... let us travel into hell...~*~
“AHHHHHHHHH!!!!! *Heavy breathing* ”
The woman's screams of bloody torture and entrapment in her own suffering were almost too much to bear. Again the struggle for air continued as the newborn girl surfaced from her mother's womb. Sweat drowned down the woman's face as she barely managed to smile down at her giggling baby girl. The child was properly cleaned and the cord had been cut as the doctor wrapped it in a cloth, handing it to the father. He was a tall, well built man with short reddish hair, and golden eyes that gleamed in amazement looking down at her, his little girl, as he cooed and cradled her. “Let me see her, dear.” The mother behind barely managed to whisper. The woman had long, flowing black hair and grayish eyes that seemed to be losing their color from her condition. The man smiled, “Of course, dear. What shall we name her?” he asked as she finally held her child in her arms. The child let out a small giggle staring in amazement at a strand of her mother's hair that swung back and forth above her curious, gray eyes. She smiled, weakly, and released her hair from the child's grasp leaning closer to kiss her forehead. She leaned beside the child's ear and whispered just loud enough for the father to hear,
“Rayne, my little girl.”
Tears streamed down the mother's cheeks as her eyes became too heavy for her own strength, and every so slowly, they closed and never opened no matter how much the father shook her, begged her, to wake. The child began to cry, almost in screeches, as if knowing exactly what is going on. Her screams reached every hallway of the hospital, so that the world would know. Her mother had died, so that she could live. The father who had knelt beside the woman, holding her hand and murmuring a prayer to her, stood, releasing his grasp on the woman's hand as he picked up his child and left the room in tears as the child continued to scream.
Three long years past as the father raised his daughter and kept his promise to his little girl that he would raise her, caring for her, and making up the love for both him, as a father, and for the mother. The young toddler of three did not seem to notice or care, as she remained innocent and naïve to the world. The father smiled down at his daughter watching her grow so fast was almost too hard to bare for him, it was her uncanny resemblance of her mother that caused him such pain, but still he managed to smile at her. He was always worried for her; concerned that something may happen to her when he is not around. So that is why he got her a gift. It was a full-bred wolf demon with silky black fur and ruby colored eyes. Rayne jumped up and down in excitement as she ran up to her father, embracing him tightly.
“Thank you, daddy!!” she squealed as she ran over to her new friend.
“Anything for my little girl.” Her father started to say with a smile but it was quickly replaced with a stern expression. “Now, Rayne, that wolf is a very rare, very strong breed of demon and will be helpful to you if you are ever in danger. Think of him as your guardian.”
“Kay!” the little girl said aloud still clinging to the wolf that she decided to name Midnight.
The father smiled at her innocence and nodded. “Well I'll be on my way then. I have some business to take care of in town, Midnight will take care of you until I return, okay?” The girl smiled at him nodding and he nodded back as he turned his back on her and left.
The girl watched him leave for a moment, before running off bouncing her toy ball along the ground as Midnight walked next to her, observant at first, with his eyes gleaming with curiosity. The girl giggled and threw the ball at him, it smacking him clear in the nose as she roared with laughter behind. He let out a small growl as he tackled her to the ground, staring at first, but then began licking her face. When she finally sat back up, she looked around for her toy ball to spot it ahead rolling into the forest of trees.
“There it is!” she squealed as she ran after it, Midnight close behind. The ball rolled down hill, making it harder for her to keep up, but she managed to at last find it by a beautiful river. The girl screamed in joy as she ran into the stream, finding herself able to walk on the water. Her eyes twinkled with amazement as Midnight's were the same. He tilted his head confused, and tried to see if he could do the same, but only found himself falling into the pool of water. The girl laughed at his feeble attempts as she allowed herself to fall in the water so that she could play with her friend. The sun had risen high during their hours of play, so the girl waded out of the water beginning to walk in the direction of home with her companion at her side. Suddenly Midnight froze, sniffing at the air as he took a few steps back. The girl stopped too looking at her friend curiously until her question was answered. A demon, a poisonous one, had risen from its hiding and faced her as Midnight bared his teeth and pushed Rayne in the opposite direction, pleading her to flee as he held his ground.
“Nah-uh! I won't go!” the little girl yelled shaking her head stubbornly refusing to leave him. The wolf rose his head and seemed to glare at her a moment before pushing her farther away. The girl bit her bottom lip, sniffling, and left in tears. She kept running, tree branches scrapping at her clothes, as she went threw the thick forest of trees until a loud, pain filled howl made her freeze. Her teeth were grinding in her mouth as she ran back, letting the sound of the echoing howl guide her. She came back with wide eyes finding the demon stone dead on the ground and Midnight lying in a puddle of blood near him.
“MIDNIGHT!” she yelled frantically running over to him, but tripped and landed next to him. Still weak, she lifted her body up with her arms and crawled over to him, petting his soft fur coat whispering to his motionless body. “You're going to be alright...aren't you Midnight? Midnight please!” tears streamed down the toddler's face as she crept closer and embraced her fallen friend, ignoring the blood on him staining her clothes. Her eyes remained firmly closed as she cried silently, hugging Midnight tighter and tighter until she felt a drop of water splash on her nose. She slowly opened her eyes to see that it was a drizzling rain, but that isn't what made her stare with wide, unbelieving eyes. A ghostly figure.... a wolf.... Her eyes widened even more.
“...Midnight...?” she barely murmured and the figure nodded its head firmly.
A smile once again returned to her face as she began to run to him, but passed right threw and he shook his head approaching her instead. He hovered over her and licked her face, and she felt it and grasped her cheek. Midnight sat back down on his rear, lifting his head, and released a long, beautiful howl as she watched in amazement. When at last he had finished, he stared at her with his two ruby orbs for a moment until closing them tight and he began to rise from the ground. Rayne stood up, about to run for him, but froze when she heard a voice in her head and by his direct staring, she could tell it was Midnight.
I leave my power of both wolf and unknown to you, I trust that you will use these powers wisely...my friend.
*I.... I...understand.... Midnight... but why me? And what are you saying? Unknown? *
There was silence within the young girl's mind before at last Midnight spoke again to her.
...I know I have not known you long.... but I feel that I can trust you...you were like my own pup.... I am so glad that if I died, I died knowing you were safe.... but still I have to wonder what will keep you safe while I am gone.... so that is why I'm staying.... but inside you.
Hearing this, the girl's small eyes widened.
My powers of that of a wolf demon will be transferred to you, but still.... I am only half wolf inherited from my father...I have no idea what I received from my mother.... I was abandoned when I was still a pup so you will have to figure that out on your own.... I'm sorry...my time is short. I must hurry. And with that there was silence within the young girl's mind as Midnight's spirit rose above her head.
This may hurt, get ready. the voice instructed and Rayne stood, nodding that she was ready.
He nodded too and came down at her with impeccable speed that smacked into her so quickly; it was too hard to bear. She fell to her knees holding her head, screaming. She screamed on and on, with her eyes flashing red until finally a bright light escaped from her body and she fell to the ground unconscious.
She awoke the following day in her own bed and sprang up only to have her father lay her back down.
“Rayne, please stay still, you're still recovering.”
“But.... But...daddy.... Midnight.... he's...”
“Dead. I know. I buried him this morning near the river when I found you. You were laying on the ground hugging him with blood from him staining your clothes, I had to throw those away from all the tears they had in them.”
Rayne sat up sniffling, rubbing the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. “Thanks dad.”
“Anytime.”
And with that, time began to move around the girl with remarkable speed again. She found herself now a teenager of thirteen years old. It was during the past five, long years her father began to train her in Martial Arts where she learned that she was a master at speed. Her reflexes had improved, being able to block and counter in any way in order to win as well as being able to deliver a punch and kick that could really send someone to a hospital. Training also revealed her demon powers that had at last awakened. From her mother's water/ice demon side, she is able to control the movement of water, walk on water as she discovered as a child, create water spheres (water balls) blizzards, and reigns of icicles. From her father's shadow/ghost demon side, she can control darkness, take over nightmares, create spheres of dark energy (orbs of sparking dark energy), shadow walk where she is teleported from one place to another, manipulate the mind's of other's as well as communicate telepathically, walk threw walls, and her body can become transparent like a ghost's. And lastly, the abilities she obtained from absorbing Midnight, from his wolf demon side is that her senses have picked up, she now has small fangs and claws that she can summon, she can howl that releases an echoing screech, and, most of all, every full moon she becomes a black wolf with her gray eyes for one full night until the sun rises, call it a sort of curse. However, her father also has her practice with nearly every kind of weapon known, but her favorites so far are the black katana she can make with her dark energy attack, shurikens (throwing stars), and she also has learned to use a handgun but only uses it to better her aim. But once Rayne completed the training she was told to endure without questions, she approached her father and he smiled proudly at her.
Rayne and her father sat down for a long, long talk about their family history and Rayne's eyes continued to grown in amazement at finding out that she was in a long line of thieves. So all that training was to prepare her, as she found out they were going on their first mission tonight to steal a priceless portrait. They came back with it in triumph and in the following years after since then, she has learned what it is really like to be a thief; and a good one too. Her family is very wealthy, having a home filled with priceless and ancient treasures forgotten since long ago. But as of now, the only thing on the nearly fifteen-year-old girl's mind is tonight. Rayne and her father prepare to leave again, but sweat drowns down their faces knowing this time it will be harder than all the rest. The mission seemed simple enough, sneak into a very wealthy light demon's estate without being noticed and find the vault. Inside are unimaginable treasures, but the one they have their eyes on is a particular gem, a light gem that's value is incredible. It was easy enough for them to creep by the guards, and fining the vault wasn't much of a difficult either...or so they thought. Invisible lasers surrounded the vault and Rayne lost her balance and fell onto one as the alarm roared. With nowhere else to turn to, they ran the way they came only to find thousand upon thousands of guards approaching them. As they ran farther, trap after trap is set off, and using his own body as a shield, Rayne's father takes all the hits while Rayne remained unharmed, but very concerned. The guards finally had surrounded them both and her father embraced her tight, kissing her forehead.
“I love you.” Was the last thing he said to her before all of a sudden he plunged her into a void of darkness as the guards captured him despite his efforts to pull free.
Rayne's eyes slowly opened what seemed like hours later seeing she was hidden in a bush just outside the courtyard of the estate where her eyes widened in fear noticing two of the guards hauling out your father in front of another demon. Rayne clenches her fists as she is about to run to her father but she hears her father's voice in her head and freezes.
Don't you dare take another step Rayne!!
But, dad, they'll kill you!!!
I don't care!! This is my decision, not yours! You think killing you and me would make mother happy?! She died for you, and I will die for you!!! NOW LEAVE!!
His voice echoed in the far corners of her mind as she closed her eyes, turning her back on him, as she began running and the sound of her father's death cry only made her run faster leaving a stream of tears falling behind her.
~*~Now that you have faced death, and have witnessed pain and suffering, and countless tears.... you may now fall into what is today...~*~
The girl now was now a sixteen-year-old (or at least in human years) living in the Living World, and thanks to the absolute wealth of her family, she lives alone in a large estate of her own. With everything that was ever important to her, she went into a violent fit. She could not control the sorrow that stabbed at her throbbing heart and couldn't stop the tears from falling or at least until she found a cure. She discovered that by concentrating only on all that pain, all that misery alone, she could absorb it from her and let it seep into her shadow. So she did so, but it made her shadow come to life, it sprang up leaving her without a shadow, and was in the form of a black cat. Originally, she named it Shadow and it, well he, became her only companion. Without that feeling of absolute sorrow to dwell on, it seems she has lost all her emotions, and others have placed the label “Punk” or “Goth” clearly on her. Living in her estate, she designed herself in black, red, gold, and silver with different designs throughout, it is filled with hallways and corridors that have varieties of weapons hung on the walls as well as paintings and poetry that she has framed. And, of course, there is a very large backyard where there is a track and training arena filled with a thick forest of trees behind that she practices in each and every day enhancing her skills and strength. ~
So NOW it is really time that I bring you to the actual story...
RING. RING. RING. The phone continues to ring as Rayne slams a pillow over her head, refusing to wake up. RING. RING. RING. The phone still continues and her arm comes out from under the covers reaching around for the phone until she finally has it, bringing it to her ear. “Who the hell is it?!?!” Rayne screams into the phone, very annoyed she had been woken up. Her eyes widen ever so slightly hearing the angered voice of your school principle. “Rayne you don't want to be expelled again now get a move on or you'll be late!!” he yelled instantly hanging up. “This is not how I wanted to wake up...” she murmurs falling back onto the bed with a sigh.
Guess I have no choice she thinks to herself jumping off the bed and toward the bathroom for a long shower. After, she dries herself quickly and puts on a black t-shirt with the words “We used to have a split personality.... but we're ok now,” inscribed along the front with my baggy jeans and a chain. Then she walks over to her dresser where she puts on her other accessories, spike bracelets lined up each arm, a dog choker-like collar with a small license in the shape of a bone, what little of mascara and eyeliner she applied, and left her long raven black hair with three red streaks down like usual. She had gotten taller over the years, but not as tall as she had hoped. She was pretty short, but acquired her mother's beauty. Her skin was pale toned and she had an amazing figure like an hourglass, but what really puzzled her were the two tattoos she has had since she was born. One, right under her left eye, is a small red teardrop, and, covering her entire back, a black dragon with enormous stretching wings. She managed to ignore it and have a little fun in the Living World by learning to skateboard and roller blade, sketch (or any other form of art), and play the guitar along with the only friends she has who've started a band they call “Satan Calling.” Rayne looked down at her watched cursing under her breath as she grabbed her skateboard and backpack, almost literally flying out the door. She looked down again noticing she had only five minutes before the bell and came to a stop looking around her cautiously. A grin curved around her lips noticing not a soul was around and she put her palm above the ground and concentrated. A void began to form and when it was big enough, she leaped in and came out just a couple feet from the school hidden behind a car. Immediately, she jumped back on her skateboard and headed toward the building. But, as she did, a group of four teenage boys her age appeared seemingly out of nowhere just ahead of her. She yelled for them to get out of the way, but when she asked nicely and it didn't work, she went back to her usual methods.
“MOVE YOU JACKASSES!!!!” at the top of her lungs but they didn't even flinch.
Turning red from anger, Rayne clenched her fists beside her until she noticed a car parked just beside them and smirked. As she did come to the car, she jumped on, railed, and flipped over one of their heads that was in the way before landing and riding on. She arrived inside at her locker moments later and made a swap for books before heading to her first class, history. She came into the room only to be handed a detention slip and a lecture for being tardy by her teacher. She stared at him straight in the eye in an emotionless daze until his useless racket was complete, where, then, she headed to her seat, which, as usual, was empty, and so were the four seats surrounding it. As she took her seat, she began to lose herself in a daze looking outside the window as class discussions continued. Her trance was disturbed, though; midway threw the discussion when the door creaked open. Rayne blinked and turned her head letting her gaze meet the four boys from earlier this morning. One of them stepped forward giving the teacher a slip of paper he read to himself, looking back up at the four boys with a smile.
“Class, we have new students today! WELCOME! I hope that you all will find it easy to settle down here.” He began to say then pointed at one of the boys starting to say as he quickly read the paper, “They are....”
“The deaf jackasses.” Rayne finishes for him still annoyed from earlier, glaring up at the four boys.
“Ms. Kikuchi!! Learn to bite that tongue of yours, I will deal with you later!” he steams.
Rayne only blinks looking back out the window muttering a “Hn” Below her breath.
The teacher sighed, turning his attention back to the four boys. “Well then, why don't you boys take your seats there around Ms. Kikuchi seeing as how you all seem to know each other so well.” He finished making a loud gasp echo around the room from all the other students. They held their breaths as headed in Rayne's direction murmuring things like “Dead men walking.” As they passed, but Rayne did nothing but glare at them at the corner of her eye as the four took their seats. That shut them up. Rayne remained in her own little world, gazing off, not looking away from the window, until a hand waved in front of her face. Surprised and annoyed at the same time, she grasped it, twisting the hand around, and turned to give `whoever it was' a piece of her mind, but found it was only one of the four boys. He had long, mid-back reddish-pink colored hair and powerful emerald-green eyes that Rayne could swore she saw flash golden. He gave a very nervous laugh and she let go of his arm, turning back around with another “Hn.” She heard him give a fairly loud sigh and whirled her head around, glaring at him. “If you got something to say, say it.” She told him coldly. He barely kept his weak smile.
“Yes, well...I am Shuichi Minamino, and I'm terribly sorry about what happened earlier, we were caught up in something...” he said beginning to trail off. Rayne raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Eh heh.... well! You know my name, but I have yet to learn your Ms. Kikuchi.” He said in a nervous tone.
Rayne felt her demonic aura start to slip in her fury. “It's Rayne.” She said in a cold, murmur as she went back to her trance outside the window. Hardly a moment passed before the teacher beckoned her.
“Ms. Kikuchi!!! Are you paying attention?”
Rayne blinked staring emotionlessly straight at him. “Well wadda yah know.... I'M NOT.” She finished with a smirk plastered across her face.
“Just answer the question.” He said beginning to smirk himself. Rayne raised an eyebrow and began to read what laid within his mind.
*She'll never get this one right.... heh.... finally I can get this brat expelled for good! She'll never guess the answer is...* she heard smirking inside her own head until going back to her usual dazed, expression.
“It is the Kamakura Period of Japan, years 1192-1333, am I right?” she answered with that same, sly smirk of victory.
“Co....Correct...” he answered bewildered as the bell finally rang and everyone packed up their things, exiting the classroom.
Rayne lost time as the day moved fast around her and she now found herself at lunch. Rayne never really had much of an appetite but took bottled water with her as she jumped into the tree farthest away in the schoolyard near a small lake. She landed seconds later on one of the highest branches, putting her backpack down and taking a few sips of water. Seconds later she removed her mouth from the bottle and gasped for a breath of air in relief as the wind nipped at her raven hair. Caught in the moment, her eyes remained closed absorbing every moment of this peace until the branch suddenly vibrated which caught her off guard and sent her falling straight down on her butt. Her eyes clenched shut from the impact but quickly opened not but a second later to see Shuichi and two of the other boys next to him standing above her with “sweat drops.” She stood, regaining her composure, as Shuichi began to introduce the boys standing next to him.
“This is Yuskue Uremeshi.” He says and a boy barely shorter than Shuichi takes a step forward giving his own greeting.
“Sup'?” he says, and Rayne immediately takes him as the muscle-head punk, rolling her eyes inside her head. He has black, short hair that is slicked back with at least two bottles worth of hair gel it seems, he has chocolate brown eyes, and he is wearing a green uniform. Rayne nods at him as Shuichi points to the other.
“This is...”
“Please hold your breath Shuichi! I can say it myself! For I am Kazuma Kuwabara......” he goes on and on and Rayne can easily tell she has not only another muscle-head in her hands but a big doofus too. He is the tallest of the four idiots, and about the ugliest human Rayne had ever seen. He had orange hair in an Elvis style of its own, he had what looked like brown eyes, and he wore a blue uniform. Rayne nodded her head once more as Shuichi took a step toward the tree she fell out of moments before pointing up into it.
“And that's Hiei Jaganshi.” Rayne looks up into the tree to see this `Hiei' coming out of the shadows cast by the tree. He was barely taller than her by an inch or so, wearing nothing but black including his black cloak hung over his shoulders with a white scarf dangling around his neck, he also wore a white bandanna tied securely around his forehead over his amber colored eyes, and then there was his gravity defying hair. His jet-black hair was spiked from beginning to end with a slight blue trim to the side, and a white outburst in the middle. Rayne blinked and turned back to Shuichi.
“Wait, he is the baka that just knocked me out of my tree, right?” Rayne asked staring blankly at Shuichi.
“Uh.... yes?”
“Good.” Rayne said and the next thing they knew, she had disappeared and reappeared on the tree branch next to Hiei. Hiei's eyes widened for a split second before Rayne's fist met his jaw and he fell to the ground face-first.
“Just remember; this is my tree.” Rayne said glaring down at him from up in the tree.
Hiei stood up and slowly turned his head to face Rayne, glaring with a fiery passion at her, and yet she glared right back meeting his challenge as the other three gave “sweat drops.”
“Very bad mistake, human.” he said in a bone-shilling tone.
Rayne cocked an eyebrow. *Human?!?!? I've never been so insulted in my life!!.... No wait there was that time in Bombay where that.... *shakes head* w/e but I guess it*s a good thing I have masked my aura, or he might have known I wasn't a human...that would get ugly.... even if he isn't human either...* Rayne thought to herself but quickly stopped sensing someone trying to pry into her mind.
“Hn...like I care...” Rayne said switching back to her usual, emotionless, self turning away from them and looking at the lake nearby. It looked so magnificent this time of year; it was practically begging Rayne to sketch it so she reached into her backpack and retrieved her sketchpad and pencil, switching to a clear page. She did the basic outline of the lakeshore and the small shrubs and trees surrounding it, before going into detail, but then it dawned upon her, that someone was right behind her. She looked behind her to meet Hiei's blank expression hovering over her. Her eye twitched as she closed her sketchpad and jumped down from the tree, landing by the others.
“Class should be starting again soon...” Shuichi said noticing the other students packing up.
Rayne nodded slightly as she kneeled down next to her backpack, digging inside it looking for her art case to put away her sketchpad in. As she searched, though, Kuwabara could not contain his own curiosity and picked up her sketchpad. Hearing the pages flip, she turned her head slowly around finding all four of the gang gawking at her sketches and she clenched her fists, walking up and snatching the sketchpad from him, narrowing her eyes evilly at him in loathe.
“You know what they say about curiosity and the cat....” was all she said before landing a powerful uppercut punch striking below the very chin of Kuwabara as he flew for a straight course into the lake.
“Just be glad it didn't kill you.” Rayne said slinging her backpack over her shoulder and headed for the school building as the bell began to chime.
****
~*~And that is the ending to the first chapter of my tale, I am proud that you have faced the mighty jaws of death, endured absolute pain and suffering, ...loss...and I'm happy that you got to meet what an independent -my own me- hard-to get- tomboy- bad ass- girl that the character I created turns out to be. But do not fret; this is only the beginning. Farewell. ~*~
End of passage 1.
Walking on Water (Chapter 1)
Ketchup ;p : Hello again everyone, I hope you enjoyed my first chapter! I have already wrote this entire series at http://www.quizilla.com/ but I found that it was really lacking, and other than that..... Quizilla is a pain in the a$$!!! I've decided to keep one of my stories on it, though, the rest will be here. Oh, and if you're confused about the little “Ketchup” thing, it's my nickname. XD
Rayne: Yes and she also wants to put up an Inuyasha and a Fruits Basket series too sometime. Support would be nice!
Ketchup ;p : Yes, so far I've only made a few Yu Yu Hakusho series, but I would like to do something different for a change.
Rayne: So any suggestions would be very helpful to her while she writes! Now let's get back to the story! I want to kick Hiei's a$$ again!!!
Hiei: Hn. I'd like to see you try, baka onni.
Rayne: WHY I OUTTA......!! *Tackles Hiei*
Readers (You) : *Anime Sweat Drop* Are they always like this?!?!
Ketchup ;p : *crash* Yep. *sips tea*
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Rayne dazes out the rest of the day at school, wanting nothing more than this torture to end, but it only gets worse. She cannot go to even one class without finding one of those four imbeciles in there with her. They all join her for history during first period, Uremeshi is in her math class in second, Kuwabara in her third, Shuichi is with her for art, and lastly Hiei is in her last period; literature (English) to her annoyance.
*Great.... just great.... * she thinks to herself slamming her locker door closed and banging her head into it, ignoring the pain. She sighs, happy that at least the day is over, as she slings her backpack over her shoulder, and puts away her skateboard. Instead, she wears her roller blades this time. She makes a clear shot for the exit; ignoring the yelling and complaining of the teachers and staff she passes as she comes flying out the door. Coming around the corner to the school steps, she skids to a halt, noticing the four sitting on the last few sets of steps.
*Great, them again...* she thinks to herself sighing, eyes drooping, but then she blinked, opening her eyes fully. Noticing the railing down the flights of steps, she gets an evil little smile. She began advancing toward the four; speed increasing, until finally jumping on the railing. The wheels of her blades screeched as she skidded down the stretching pipe, and, with Kuwabara in her way, she jumped high as she could over him, using his head as a push off point to go farther. She landed it perfectly, not hesitating to skate on, ignoring Kuwabara's pitiable whines behind her.
“Show off.” Her sensitive hearing barely heard Hiei grunt. She came to a halt, turning around to face him, glaring at him straight in the eye. Hiei did nothing but stare blankly back at her as she stared a moment more before turning back around and leaving.
_______________________________________
~*~Yu Yu Hakusho Gang's Point of View~*~
Kurama faced Hiei, sighing. “You're really asking for it Hiei.” He said noticing her leave their sights from the corner of his eye.
He watched her leave, but did not respond with anything, but a “Hn.”
Yuskue shook his head in shame, reaching into his pocket for his communicator mirror and opened it to reveal a screen. “Botan, send us a portal, we're coming back.” Yuskue said and a giddy voice answered,
“Of course, be expecting it any second!” where of course a void appeared and all four of them walked inside. They soon arrived in a large office in front of a desk. A voice behind the rolled around chair spoke,
“So did you find out who it was?”
“Yes. The energy we think is coming from a teenage girl with a temper that we met at school today.”
“Yes I see...it seems she may not be able to control her anger.... what is her name?”
“Rayne Kikuchi.”
“Very well then. That name is familiar to me somehow.... I will look into it, but while I am, you four are to keep close watch of her. Hiei, I know I can trust you won't be caught, so I need you to find out where she lives. Keep each of your three eyes on her, study her training, she may be more powerful than she let's on.”
Hiei nodded, starting to walk out the door and into the portal they came from, where the other three followed.
___________________________________
~*~Rayne's Point of View~*~
At last she had arrived home, throwing her backpack inside where she left for her backyard. She endured five long hours of her usual training before calling it a day. She walked back inside, going upstairs for a relieving shower. It was late when she got out, putting on her clothes, mumbling to herself only half awake; she slid under her covers as darkness took over.
She awoke the following morning when sunlight peaked threw her window, and burned her eyes. She flung her pillow over her head, looking to the side sleepily at her alarm clock.
Twenty minutes.
A long yawn escaped from her mouth as she rolled back over asleep once again. She woke again nearly fifteen minutes later, grumbling as she sat up. She went into the bathroom brushing her hair, teeth, and applying what eyeliner and mascara should could as she walked back out looking for a pair of clothes to wear. Today she wore long, baggy black jeans with tears and zippers, chains hanging to the sides, and a short cut black t-shirt that exposed her pierced navel with “AFI” written in bold print on the front. She quickly put on her dog choker-like collar and other accessories before looking at the clock once again. She cursed under her breath, knowing she wouldn't make it. Sighing, she created another void in her floor and jumped inside. She reappeared in the abandoned hallway where her locker was and looked around making sure no one was present. When she was sure, she smiled and walked up to her locker, making her arm become ghostly transparent as she put it threw her locker, grabbing a couple books as she ran to class. She skidded inside just as the bell rang and the teacher looked up from his desk.
“Actually on time for once Ms. Kikuchi? What a surprise, but if you would be so kind as to TAKE YOUR SEAT we can continue the lesson.”
She shrugged, barely looking at him, as she turned and froze seeing the four imbeciles surrounding her seat once more. She clenched her fist as she made her way over and sat down. She was able to go the entire time, dazing into her own little world again without any disturbances before the bell, at last, rang and everyone began to pack up and leave. She left for math class with Yuskue following her close behind. Sitting down at her seat, she actually held a smile. Unlike history, she enjoyed math, but not for the subject. She could burn her math book for all she cared, but it was the old man, her teacher, that made the class so interesting. He was a simple, nervy old man that was easy to con. She smirked wondering what she would do to him today; until she finally had her plot set as he old man began writing out a problem on the chalkboard. He stopped for a second, trying to figure what he had done wrong, when Rayne blurted out
“No, no, teach! You were dividing it remember?”
“I was? Oh, okay, let's see.....AH!!! NO! NO! NO! That's not right!!” he yells hysterically, erasing it, as he turns around, glaring sternly at her. “Ms. Kikuchi!!! I don't want to hear another PEEP out of you or it's off to detention with you!” he looked over seeing you still with that sly smirk on your face, he grunted tuning back around. Silence filled the room then, the silence was eerie, but disturbed as Rayne suddenly yelled
“PEEEEEP!!!!!”
Now the teacher was mad, his ears were red, he pointed out the door yelling “OUT!!” where Rayne just smirked at him beginning to stand when someone suddenly slapped her back followed by bursts of laughter. She turned seeing Yuskue tearing from his own laughter.
“Nice!!!” he yelled, but she said nothing but walk out the door, shutting it behind her.
Arriving to detention, she opened the door finding Hiei seated in the far corner. Tilting her head slightly, even as he saw her too, he gave her a questionable look but she only ignored him, taking the seat farthest from his presence. She got out her sketchpad, and again she drew for the remaining time until the bell rang when she left to her favorite class; art. She arrived just as the bell rang, far too late for any of the good seats, so was forced to sit next to Shuichi. Moment s later a woman probably in her early twenties came into the room smiling at everyone.
“Okay class today we are working on symbolizing, sketch the inner animal that courses threw you! It will be due at the end of the bell, so begin!”
Both Shuichi and Rayne were given their paper, as Rayne snatched it and hastily began. She was drawing none other than a wolf, to represent her wolf form. She began on the outline, detailing the fur and other features before coloring in its fur in black, shading its eyes to a pale gray. She admired it proudly, but could not contain her curiosity, looking from the corner of her eye to Shuichi's sketch. It was remarkable. He drew a pale blue fox standing in front of a field of roses with very much skill. Rayne somewhat smiled and slapped him on the back,
“A kitsune (fox), huh sly?”
He twitched from her hard stroke but retained his smile, “Yes, I'm pretty sure a kitsune describes me best...” he said beginning to daze off, looking at his drawing. She waved her hand in front of his face, snapping him back into reality. “Well, uh, what are you drawing?” he recovers and her eyes narrow at him for a moment in suspicion as she held up her sketch proudly. There was a moment that passed with him staring in awe at it, but then his expression changed into a puzzled one. “Amazing Rayne, but you should probably but in background, it gives a better effect.” He suggested and Rayne blinked looking at her sketch.
“I guess...” she murmured, picking up her pencil once more. Just finishing before the bell, she had drawn the wolf sat back on top of a cliff, its head held high howling at the distant full moon. She turned it into the teacher as the bell chimed and she grabbed her things, as she left to science. There was a midterm lab today, and to her own luck, she was stuck with that baka; Kuwabara. She argued nearly the entire time with him, for he caused nothing but disaster and several explosions, but managed to just make a passing grade by a couple point. She sighed in relief as the bell rang and she almost literally flew out the door to her locker. She put away some of the books she carried, exchanging them for the ones she needed before walking out into the schoolyard and jumping into her usual tree. She dazed looking at the lake nearby, nearly falling asleep, before remembering she never finished sketching the lake. Pulling out her sketchpad, she began to draw until hearing footsteps below her. She looked down just in time seeing Hiei about to jump into the tree. Her teeth grinded as she put out her fist, with the top of Hiei's head banging into it as he jumped up. He fell back down again, landing on his feet as he glared up into the tree, rubbing his head.
“You'll regret that.”
“Oh I highly doubt I will.” Rayne finished, jumping down next to him, glaring at the corner of her eye before turning around and heading inside the school building as the bell began to ring. Hiei followed behind her, as they walked into literature (English) class. She walked in just as a boy took the last available seat and she was forced to next to Hiei in the only two seats left. She glared at the boy as she walked to her seat; meanwhile the teacher just came in the classroom.
“Sorry I am late everyone, I was just dismissed from a meeting.” She explained putting her things down on her desk. “But now that I'm here, it's time to begin our group projects like I told you all last week. Everyone will be assigned a partner and you will write a bibliography about each other, now wait until your name is called....” she began to assign several classmates while Rayne slumped in her chair, praying she wouldn't get paired with a few certain people, Hiei included.
“And Ms. Kikuchi, you will be paired with Mr. Hiei Jaganshi.”
“WHAT?!” she yelled, springing up from her seat, but the teacher only looked at her sternly, demanding that she sit. She narrowed her eyes at her, sitting back down as other students began scattering around the room with their partners while she just sat there. She sighed thinking
*Might as well get this over with...* as she threw her backpack into her lap, getting paper and pencils, tossing some to Hiei. He caught them, staring at them a moment before looking back at her confused.
“Look, I don't want to do this anymore than you do, but we might as well get this done and over with.” She declared but he only replied with another,
“Hn.” As he looked out the window. Her eye twitched and she sighed annoyed.
“We could start with appearances.” She said starting to write down what Hiei looked like but found writing wasn't her strong point as she crumbled up the paper, throwing it aside as she got out her sketchpad making Hiei look over, cocking an eyebrow.
“Just stand still.”
“Hn.”
She began to draw him, finding it not as easy as she thought with that hairstyle of his. Finally she got it right and turned it around to him.
“Well?”
“I hate it.” He finally said after a moment of silence making an “Anime Vein” appear on Rayne's head.
“I'd like to see you do better.”
He glared at her a moment, then snatched her sketchpad from her, picking up a pencil as he began staring at her every now and then until he finished ten minutes before the bell.
He turned it around to face her and her eyes widened completely. Not wanting him to get the satisfaction of victory, she mocked him saying “I hate it.” Despite the great craftsmanship he had. While actual thinking *.....Wow.....* but Hiei did not glare or give his usual “Hn.” He smirked. Rayne was caught by surprise, cocking an eyebrow in confusion wondering *What's up with him? I just said I hated it, but it's OK, I guess.... * she looked back up annoyed that his smirk had only grown.
“Well at least we got that done, now for the boring part.” She began with a sigh. “Okay, Hiei, where were you born?”
Hiei's eyes widened and he turned to her with a cold, death glare. “Hn!!!” he yelled.
“Hn? Okay then, Hiei was born in the town of HN!!!” she said writing it down at the same time mockingly. Hiei continued to glare at her, and snatched her arm as she wrote, twisting it. She snatched it back form him, standing as he did the same, with them both glaring at each other with those “Anime Electric Sparks” connecting their eyes. The commotion caused the whole class to turn and face them as they were still locked in a staring contest.
“You know you're really starting to piss me off.”
“Hn.”
“THAT'S IT!!!!” Rayne yelled, tackling Hiei to the ground where they rolled in circles punching and squirming with the whole class chanting “Fight! Fight!” until the teacher squeezed threw.
“Rayne, Hiei!!!!!! To the office, NOW!!!”
They glared at each other one last time before exiting the room, walking down the halls thinking so loud inside their minds; they didn't realize they were reading each other's.
*Baka.... * they thought at the same time and turned to glare at one another again.
“You're the baka!!!” Hiei literally yelled it echoing in the halls.
“Well I'm not the dumb ass that started it!!!” she countered, once again “Anime Electric Sparks” connecting their eyes before they turned back around with a grunt and walked to the office in silence. A t last they arrived to receive a lecture from the assistant principle while Rayne and Hiei were at each others throats arguing about who started it.
“My past is not for you to know!!!”
“Well excuuuuuse me!!!!! It's only what we were forced to do!!! Like I'd actually be interested in anything about you!!” she yelled and only when the bell ring did they quit and make a dash out the door in different directions to their lockers, ignoring the assistant principle telling them to come back. Having done her homework in class already, Rayne dumped all her books inside her locker, slamming it shut after her, jumping on her skateboard and riding down the hallway and straight out the door. She stopped in the streets looking around to find no one in sight and smiled.
*Looks like there's no traffic today, and not one of the four idiots in sight, imagine that!!!* she thought herself smirking as she continued riding.
~*~Yu Yu Hakusho Gang's Point of View~*~
“Alright, Hiei, there she goes!!” Yuskue said coming out of hiding with the others. Hiei stared as she went out of view and disappeared after her.
~*~Rayne's Point of View~*~
Rayne continued boarding down the streets, railing the side walk edges and jumping along cars along the way while, unaware to her, a moving shadow followed close behind her. After another turn she reached home where she skidded to a halt, catching her board as she kicked it up into her hands, and headed inside. She fished out her key from inside her pocket and unlocked the door, throwing her backpack down along with her board as she went upstairs to search for a training outfit. She wore long, dark pants with a tang-top like black shirt, also with black gloves missing the fingers and a black bandanna tied securely around her forehead while also putting her hair up to keep it out of her way. She walked into another room close by filled to every corner with weapons. Holding her chin in puzzlement, she looked over all the different choices and finally picked up a couple. She placed several shuriken stars inside her belt, a katana that she placed in a sheathe at her hip, and lastly, a hirakotsu (boomerang) that she held over her shoulders with ease as she jumped out the window of the room, and landed in the middle of her training arena. She walked farther into the forest of trees while the moving shadow followed her. She finally came to where the trees were in a zigzag pattern and smiled. She held up the hirakotsu and threw it with all the strength she had, as it crushed and smashed everything in its path. But as it made its way back to her, she unsheathed the katana and blocked it from getting her, her feet digging into the ground until finally she flung it off her. It went circling around again, and Rayne threw a series of shuriken stars that switched its direction another tree it smashed, until it came back to her and she caught it, highly satisfied. Her breath was somewhat heavy, but she put the hirakotsu down, sheathed her katana, and went looking for her shurikens. Afterward, she sighed, regaining her breath, as she walked over to where the track was. It was a strange track, leading all over her backyard, even threw the forest so that she could roller blade and skateboard on it too. She got into a ready position before dashing off as if she was shot out of a cannon. Hiei, who had been sitting up in a tree all this time, sprang up in surprise and got up, secretly running behind her. His vision could not keep track of her, she was too fast, which was really hurting his pride. Hiei had always been the fast one, and now to be outraced by someone he loathed, that was going too far. His teeth were grinding as he followed her until the point of exhaustion where he finally saw her stop, kneeling over her knees, breathing heavily. She quickly stood back up, retrieving the weapons she had brought out before running the rest of the way inside. While Hiei jumped down from the tree he was hiding in punching the ground hard enough to create a small crater. He sighed, turning around where a portal had opened for him, and he walked into it before disappearing again. Rayne, meanwhile, had just gotten out of the shower, putting on a loose black tee with shorts underneath as she sunk into her covers.
She awoke the following morning, a Saturday morning, yawning with a smile as she rolled over on her side. *Good. I don't have to put up with Mr. Sunshine today.... * she thought yawning again before jumping out of bed and over to her dresser. She wore yet another black tee today that said in bold red print: “I wish everyone would just die and burn in hell.... I'm too tired to kill them myself anymore...” with slightly baggy jeans and her usual accessories. She finally had her dog collar secured around her neck and her hair hung over her shoulders when she grabbed her board and rode into town to Star Bucks. She got a cinnamon bun along with [insert favorite coffee here]. She sat there sipping her coffee until someone slapped her on the back, making her nearly spit up coffee. She turned around to glare at that person, but sighed finding it was only Kyle, the drummer of her band.
“Watch yourself Kyle, one of these days I'm seriously gonna kill you.”
Kyle took her coffee from her; “You're pretty moody for this early in the morning, what's up with you?” Kyle asked taking a sip of the coffee.
Rayne sighed. “I've got stalkers, I guess you could say.” Kyle blinked followed by a round of laughter.
“Really? Who?” Kyle asked still tearing, her eye twitched at him in annoyance.
“Jackasses!!! Four, dim-witted jackasses!!!!!” she yelled in fury, Kyle cocking an eyebrow.
“That still doesn't answer my question.” He said one more sip of her coffee.
“Quite the nosey one today aren't you Kyle? And that's my [insert coffee choice here]!!!!” she yelled, snatching her coffee back with Kyle only giving a goofy grin.
“Hn....fine. It's these four new guys at my school...they're everywhere I go...I can't get away from them.... and it's just really pissing me off...” she said squeezing so hard on her cup that it crunched and all the left over coffee exploded everywhere. She only sighed.
“Ah, new meat!!! Go on.”
“......Fine. One of them, Yuskue, is a muscle-head jerk, not to mention the class clown. His friend, or should I say punching bag, Kuwabara, is the ugliest person I've ever seen in my life, not to mention a total lecher that flirts with every girl in sight.”
“Not you?”
“Very funny Kyle, but no. I guess I've made an impression on him, ever since I sent him flying into the lake, heh, he's just scared to death of me! .......But the other two, I don't know. One of them, Shuichi, seems to actually be trying to get close to me, but good luck with that!! He's the one that actually scares me with how feminine he is and he never stops smiling!!! It's very creepy...” She pauses a moment, her eye twitching at what she's about to say. “And then there's Hiei. He is a complete jerk with an attitude to match, never says a word but `Hn' and he's just always pissing me off.....there. Happy now?”
Kyle cocked an eyebrow, but it was replaced with a grin. “Sure sounds familiar...”
She glared at him, punching him in the shoulder, playfully, but still hard as shejumped on her board and was on her way mumbling to herself along the way. *How could Kyle compare me to Hiei?!?! Of all people, he's just a complete pain in the ass!!!! * But then she heard another voice inside her head.
*You're no prize yourself*
Pretty freaked out, she came to a halt looking around to find no one there and sighed. She walked inside the Music Shack, purchasing a few CDs while in there and decided to take the long way home threw the park. It took longer than she thought, and when she arrived home, it was too dark for her to be able to train. She sighed in defeat and annoyance knowing this was the one-day of the week she practices her demon powers, she always looks forward to it, but it looks like she has no choice but to put it off till tomorrow. After showering and lounging in front of the television a while eating pizza, she finally went upstairs to bed.
___________________________________
~*~Meanwhile with the YYH Gang~*~
The moving shadow came out of the void and appeared in the same large office as before. Looking clearly, it is Hiei, still breathing a little heavy from the trip. He walked up to the large desk, where the chair was still turned around and the person sitting in it began to speak.
“ I see you've finally returned Hiei, you haven't reported in a while. So what has happened?” it asked.
“Well now I'm positive. All that energy is coming from her.....it's incredible.....I had enough trouble keeping up with her when she was running her track.....” he trailed off, his fists were clenched, knuckles white.
Yuskue and Kuwabara couldn't contain their own laughter and found themselves rolling on the floor in laughter, tears streaming from their eyes. “Hiei got outran by a girl?!” Kuwabara managed to squeal between laughs. Hiei clenched his fists tights, his eyes fading into a bright blue light from his own ferocity, followed by another light gleaming behind his white bandanna that sent both Yuskue and Kuwabara into the hard, stonewall. He grunted not even being able to smirk as he stormed out of the room, letting the doors slam after him. The figure in the chair sighed turning to Kuwabara.
“I'm very disappointed in you two. Don't you ever learn?” it pauses with another sigh. “Well if Hiei can't watch her tomorrow, YOU will Kuwabara, since you were the one to make the first insult.” Kuwabara began to sit up, rubbing the large bump on his head as he nodded.
_____________________________
~*~Rayne's Point of View~*~
Streams of sunlight poured into Rayne's face, her eyes slowly opened and squinted from the brightness. She yawned loudly as she sat up, stretching her arms into the air. After having a quick breakfast, she returns upstairs to change into her training outfit where today, she will only use her katana and shuriken stars. She walked into the forest of trees once more hearing the beautiful sounds around her, the running stream, and the wind nipping at the soft, green grass. It all seemed to perfect for a day of training but Rayne narrowed her eyes swearing she heard voices.
____________________________________
~*~Meanwhile~*~
A void opened nearby releasing both Kuwabara who stumbled to the ground and Hiei landed swiftly on a tree branch. Kuwabara quickly, yet clumsily climbed up the tree joining Hiei who rolled his eyes at Kuwabara's klutziness.
“This is humiliating. Why did Koenma have to send such a pathetic ningen (human) along with me...?” Hiei thought out loud in a whisper.
“HEY! Don't blame me that that over-inflated pride of yours got hurt last night and you left without a word! How were we supposed to know you'd watch her today? You didn't HAVE TO come!!!”
Hiei gritted his teeth. “And leave you alone on a mission? I think not. You can't do anything on your own.”
Kuwabara was about to protest when a shuriken came flying by, he barely managed to duck so that it would only take some of his hair. He tried to keep in a squeal as the shuriken, thrown by Rayne, returned like a boomerang to her and she examined it. Noticing a hair, she narrowed her eyes. She ran up to the tree, kicking it and both Hiei and Kuwabara fell out.
___________________________
~*~Rayne's Point of View~*~
She was surprised at first, but then she quickly switched to anger seeing Hiei and Kuwabara sitting before her. That was it; she couldn't take it anymore. Her anger was on the verge to consume her as her demonic aura finally became visible and Hiei's eyes widened. They were still lying on the ground, so she quickly unsheathed her katana, pointing it directly at them.
“Why are you spying on me?!”
A gulp filled Kuwabara's throat. “Spying? No! No! We weren't spying!! We were just walking by! Right? Right Hiei?” Kuwabara nervously managed to shake out.
She narrowed her eyes, inching closer to them. “Hn....walking by my ass. You were in a fuckin' tree, in my fuckin' backyard!!!” Rayne blurted out not being able to contain her fury. Hiei's eyes widened, teeth slightly gritting as he suddenly disappeared. She looked around for him, and saw in the blur he disappeared in, she saw him pull under his cloak. *A sheathe! * She thought preparing to block just in time to counter Hiei, with his own katana.
“Since when do you have a katana?”
“Always.” Hiei replied with a smirk, knocking her katana out of her hands. She watched it fall, turning back to him, glaring. Her eyes widened noticing Hiei coming closer, the blade of his katana nearing your throat, but at the last second, he switched it onto its handle and smacked her on the head; a blow powerful enough to knock her out. She struggled to keep her eyes open but darkness soon took over.
She awoke later on seated in a chair in front of a large desk. Rayne sighed. *Where am I? * She thought looking around the large room but froze hearing a squeak. She faced front, realizing the chair was turning around to reveal.......a toddler?!?!? Her eye twitched and a large “ANIEMSWEAT DROP” was placed on her head. She nearly laughed seeing the young infant who wore a blue outfit trimmed in pink, including a large blue hat that seemed too big for him, or anyone else. Curious, she began to walk to him, and he watched her, as if studying her every move. In the blink of an eye she snatched his hat from him, placing it on her own head, noticing it was too big for her and covered her eyes. She heard laughter coming from the room and tipped the hat up surprised to see the gang all trying to contain laughter, and Hiei just turned from her with his usual “Hn.” She glared at him, about to run, but the hat covered her eyes again, making her trip. They all laughed as she felt a set of arms lifting her onto a chair and tying her up. The hat was snatched off her head by the toddler who placed it on his head again; glaring at Rayne as he did and surprisingly enough, it talked.
“Thank you...so it's you then....the one all that energy that was sensed came from..... A thief of all demons....” he finished and Rayne's eyes widened in awe.
“How do you know that I'm a thief?”
“You couldn't contain yourself in taking my hat, if you want something you take it, claiming it as yours. That has always been the theory of thieves, but for your family in particular. Your family's line has never been caught, living the rest of their days happy in riches, training the next to inherit the fortune when they die. But now I've made history. I've caught a descendant of the legendary Kikuchi line.” The toddler known as Koenma stated.
“YOU BASTARD!!!!! NEVER SAY THAT NAME!!!! NEVER!!!!” Rayne yelled hysterically clenching her fists tightly.
Dark energy emitted from her hands, breaking her free of the ropes. She held her head in her hands a headache forming in her mind, she barely managed to squint her eyes open to look outside to the window. Fear struck her dead on. It was the night of the full moon. The headache continued to burn her mind, screams that sounded like screeches coming from her. She was causing the room to fall into shambles, the others watching in unbelief. Wind picked up her hair, her eyes faded blood red, and finally, she released a long, screeching howl that sent a bright light escaping from her body, nearly blinding the others. She arose in her wolf form, a black wolf with gray eyes that burned with ferocity. Hearing that name again.....being reminded of her past like that....she couldn't stand it. She bared her teeth at the others causing them all to take a step back as looked for a way to escape. Her screeches managed to break the window glass she saw and smirked inside her mind as she leaped out, landing on her feet. The gang followed after her, her eyes widened and she turned around and ran. The hunt has begun.
*****
So ends the long second chapter of my tale young ones.... I hope you have enjoyed your stay as we've journeyed into what is today, and to another world completely where the future of this demon girl awaits her. Only here will she find her destiny, but what will happen if those four catch her? Will it be the end? Is there no escape? Until next time my friends, I bid you all farewell.
Walking on Water (Chapter 2) The struggle for control and Koenma's proposal
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“How do you know that I'm a thief?”
“You couldn't contain yourself in taking my hat, if you want something you take it, claiming it as yours. That has always been the theory of thieves, but for your family in particular. Your family's line has never been caught, living the rest of their days happy in riches, training the next to inherit the fortune when they die. But now I've made history. I've caught a descendant of the legendary Kikuchi line. “The toddler, known as Koenma, stated.
“YOU BASTARD!!!!! NEVER SAY THAT NAME!!!! NEVER!!!!” Rayne yelled hysterically clenching her fists tightly.
Dark energy emitted from her hands, breaking her free of the ropes. She held her head in her hands a headache forming in her mind, she barely managed to squint her eyes open to look outside to the window. Fear struck her dead on. It was the night of the full moon. The headache continued to burn within her mind, screams that sounded like screeches coming from her. She was causing the room to fall into shambles, the others watching in unbelief. Wind picked up her hair, her eyes faded blood red, and finally, she released a long, screeching howl that sent a bright light escaping from her body, nearly blinding the others. She arose in her wolf form, a black wolf with gray eyes that burned with ferocity. Hearing that name again.... being reminded of her past like that.... she couldn't stand it. She bared her teeth at the others causing them all to take a step back as she panicked, looking for a way to escape. Her screeches managed to break the window glass, she noticed, and smirked inside her mind as she leaped out, landing on her feet. The gang followed after her, her eyes widened and she turned around and ran. She picked up speed, letting herself go to just run her heart out, or at least until she was forced to come to a harsh stop. She looked ahead of her where a beautiful, yet gigantic lake spread across the land, her only hope to get away. She took a deep breath, hoping that her nervousness wouldn't stop her from being able to
Walk across the water.
After all, she was still part water demon. She took her first step, relieved to see her paws standing firm on the flowing river below. Her nervous pacing soon turned into a sprint as her hearing picked up the voices of the four fools, still hot on her trail. Her teeth were grinding in frustration as she ran only faster knowing that minor detour wouldn't hold them long. She needed shelter, and she needed to find it quickly. She came to the shore at last, breathing heavily as she continued her search in the darkness of the night, easily able to see with her eyesight in wolf form. She slowed down to a walk, her tongue hanging from her mouth, pleating her to return to the river for a drink, but she didn't. She found her shelter; a damp, cool cave that kept her well hidden thanks to her black coat, she blended in perfectly.
Her eyelids soon became too much for her to bear, and slowly, ever so slowly, she receded into darkness. She had a dream; or should I say nightmare? Her body was trembling, as her dream was black, nothing but black. She stood there, an innocent child looking around to find dead bodies lying around her; the bodies of those she cherished and she was the one dripping in blood. She looked at the blood, backing away, clutching her head screaming it wasn't her fault, it wasn't, only making her teeth grow into fangs and her eyes glow red. She fell to her knees, howling in pain.
Her eyes jet-open; her breath heavy.
She laid her head in-between her two paws, ears down; whining quietly. She fought the urge to cry, crying showed weakness, helplessness, worthlessness; she could not degrade herself to that level. She closed her eyes again and listened to the noises around her. She heard the wind, the stream, the scurrying animals, but not the sound of voices, not the clutter of footsteps. She sighed in relief, and stood, cautiously daring to head to the peak of the cave. She looked around once more, she was still unsure, but her stomach made the decision for her when she noticed a rabbit hopping nearby. Again her tongue hung out, saliva dripping in hunger. Her animal instincts over-powered her, and she found herself creeping behind the rabbit, hidden behind the bushes as it lay in the open.
She pounced.
Horrified, the rabbit desperately tried to escape, but the true animal in Rayne released and she became brutal. Her foot stomped down on the fragile back of the rabbit, crushing its bones as she began tearing at its flesh, the blood oozing all over her mouth and staining the spring green grass. Her sharp fangs dug into the skin, spitting fur occasionally, tearing and slashing it into smaller pieces that were easier for her to devour. She finally took a breath that she had been holding for quite a while, in absolute relief. She sighed, just now noticing the blood trickling from her mouth. She licked what she could away and retreated to the lake for a drink. She blinked, noticing the reflection of the rising sun. She smiled and walked to the hills where the rays of the morning dawn caught her dead on.
She closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the rays soak and cleanse her, she felt the wolf blood dangerously retreating away, making her flinch as the blood balanced and the transformation was over for now, so her body returned.
The night of the full moon was at last over.
She opened her eyes with a sigh of relief as she then noticed that yet again her transformation had shredded her clothing, leaving her nude. But it did not faze her, she had long since gotten used to it. She faced her palm to the ground, a void opening up and spitting out a duffel bag she had stored for these situations. She got on a pair of faded gray sweats and a black tang top as she stayed sitting on the ground for a while, playing with the license of her dog collar. She relaxed for the first time in that night full of angst, finally at peace as she listened to the voices of the forest around her.
Then a twig snapped nearby.
She growled under her breath, her eyes ever so slowly fading red again in frustration. She looked at the corner of her eye noticing it was Hiei, just jumping to another tree branch. Her fist was clenched and she reached at her waist for a shuriken but they weren't there. She reached for her katana, which also wasn't there, and nor were the daggers in their sheathes usually on her ankles or the handgun on her upper arm. Her eye twitched and her teeth were grinding.
“Fuck.” She mumbled under her breath knowing her spirit energy was far too low now to stand a chance as she sighed, her eyes closing.
She opened them to find a katana blade pressing against her throat and a hand placed firmly on her shoulder. She diverted her attention the other way, not even bothering to look at Hiei, which made him press harder in aggravation. She sighed and looked at him from the corner of her eye.
“Well are you here to take me back or not? I grow tired of these games.” She finished with a sigh once again letting her gaze drift above her. But, suddenly, Hiei leaned above her smirking. She narrowed her eyes confusedly at first until noticing that he had removed his bandana to reveal a third eye. She merely gazed at it a second before she felt herself loosing touch with reality. She was drifting away, looking away into the eye that glowed a bright blue, until she heard a voice.
“Hn. Baka, you stared into it far too long.”
She recognized it as Hiei's voice, slowly blinking a few times to realize her eyes were covered with a cloth. It was removed moments later where she found herself in a very familiar office, chained to that same Goddamn chair...
~*~Hiei's Direction From Earlier ~*~
I jumped from tree to tree searching for the worthless onna the toddler seemed so fond of. Why? I did not even know myself, it was far better than prison, that I knew, but I would rather slit her throat now and save the time instead of this pointless chasing. I sighed inwardly, jumping another tree branch, but my foot slid too far to the right and snapped a small twig on the tree branch I had just landed on.
I gritted my teeth in frustration, cursing under my breath, as I knew she heard me, but jumped to the next tree either way. She was tense; I could sense her breathing was heavy, and she seemed to be searching for something only to find nothing and sigh, closing her eyes.
That let her guard down.
I immediately made my way next to her, having the blade of my katana at her neck and held onto her shoulder to ensure no escape. I smirked in triumph, but she made no effort to look at me, she just looked the other way, not afraid for her life. That aggravated me, I so loved that look of trembling fear, and yet she could just sit there staring without a care in the world at death showing nothing, it was all a blank. I pressed my katana harder on her neck, noticing a small trickle of blood escape down her neck, but she did not flinch, she only sighed.
She stared at me dead on with those eyes; those eyes that showed nothing, those eyes I had now loathed, from the corner of her eye asking me, “Well are you here to take me back or not? I grow tired of these games.”
I did not reply to her; I couldn't. I expected her to fight; she was, after all, a thief, one stubborn and rebellious type that refuses confinement, just as I do. And yet she was willingly going to let me take her, there was no fun in that. I liked to play with my prey, confuse and torment my prey, before pouncing, but no, she did not give me the satisfaction. She looked above into the skies as my teeth were grinding, my eyes flashing that blinding blue, even the Jagan, which caused my bandana to fall. I caught it, grasping it firmly, as I leaned above her, looking down at her with a smirk. She seemed annoyed at first, but then, at last, at long last, her eyes went dull and blank again, she had learned fear.
I thought I'd feel proud, but somehow I wasn't. I sighed, and covered my hand over her eyes, making sure she would not look into the Jagan any longer. She had went unconscious for the moment, so I laid her on the grass as I secured the bandana around my forehead and picked her up as I headed back to the toddler.
She was chained to the same chair this time, blindfolded even, but she did not wake.
I sighed, and murmured within her hearing, “Hn. Baka, you stared into it far too long.” And soon enough, she awoke.
~*~Back to Rayne's Point of View~*~
She blinked several times adjusting to the room's light instead of the darkness of the blindfold. Once her vision was clear again, she glared at the toddler. His eyes widened momentarily before he scoffed and turned to the side, returning to his chair. He seemed to be stalling on purpose, only aggravating Rayne further.
“Why have you brought me here? I have not done anything wrong in the ningen[human] world, or at least anything I can remember.” She finally spoke, the eerie silence striking her nerves.
“I cannot have a demon with powers such as yours living in the Human World; it's far too dangerous. And the fact that you are the heir of the Kikuchi thief line only makes things more difficult, but you confuse me more than any of your ancestors that I have dealt with in my time. You're a mystery to me, Rayne; it seems you just keep surprising me. As far as my knowledge has told me, you were strictly bound to only water, ice, shadow, and ghost, and yet you've transformed into a wolf before us and you also have quite a vermin inside you that's struggling for control.”
She smirked at that last comment, hardly a smirk, but it was still there.
“It's not that I'm possessed by a `vermin' or anything.... I just have a lot of different demon powers within me and it seems it's hard to keep them all in balance at times.... but what I'm really trying to do is not for a toddler like you to know.” She finished glaring at him.
She was surprised to see him only laugh. “All right, I think I understand now. You have so many demon powers; they're unbalancing each other, which is masking one of them. And so, you're only training yourself to such extremes to have the strength to balance them. Yes, I see.”
She blinked, her eyes wide with awe. She scoffed, looking to the side with a “Hn.”
Koenma had a smile behind his pacifier. “Looks like I've got another Hiei on the team, heh.” Koenma said with a small laugh.
She cocked an eyebrow, “Team?”
Koenma nodded. “What you can do in your training is limited while in the Human World, at risk a human sees you, and it's obvious you haven't a clue how to even begin regular training. But, if you agree to join Team Uremeshi, then I will assign you to a strict training schedule with the four boys. They may not look it, but they have potential when it comes to martial arts and could help you get stronger. Besides, I can just as easily have you locked up at will with what an unbelievable record you have, but I'm willing to let it slide just this once. “
She looked taken back a moment, sighing as she stared at the floor in a silence. It took several minutes before she replied in a murmur, “I really don't know what to do. I've always been on my own, and that's the way I like it. I don't except help from others, I do things my own way, and so I'm sorry. I cannot accept your offer. But I can't let you imprison me either, wolves cannot stand confinement, they like to roam free, and run with the wind at their tails. So, what will you do?” she finished, laughing slightly with hysteria dripping from her last word.
Koenma sighed. “I expected as much. Thieves have been known for their stubbornness, but I thought I'd at least give it a try, but still... I'm sure we can come up with something.”
“And what are you gonna do; bribe me? There is no reason for me to stay here, so if you have nothing better to say, I will leave now.” Rayne finished, surprisingly escaped from the chains.
“Please wait! I can help you release the vermin inside you!!!” Koenma screamed, standing on the large desk.
She stopped, glaring at him coldly over her shoulder. “And what makes you think you can do what I have spent nearly my whole life trying to accomplish? I will manage on my own one way or another!” she screamed about to make a dash for the door noticing it closed and locked tight.
“I asked the boys to wait outside, I thought it would be best to keep these personal matters secret, but they're most likely eavesdropping anyway.” Koenma finished scratching his head.
Rayne sighed in defeat. “All right, you get a chance. I'll at least give you a try, and join this little team of yours, but if all doesn't go well, your head is mine.” Rayne finished, her eyes flashing red a moment, showing her fangs, as she turned and banged opened the large doors with ease despite their weight and enormous size.
DOMINOES!!!
Koenma had told the truth, they were eavesdropping, each ear close to the door. They were slammed on top of each other when the door slammed open, each piling onto another.
Rayne looked at them from the corner of her eye. “Bakas.” She muttered just loud enough for them to hear as she tucked her hands inside her pockets and walked off, despite the fact she had no idea where she was going.
She wandered the maze of halls, her eye twitching in annoyance and a large “Anime Vein” on her head, as she seemed to be going in circles.
“Well it would appear someone is lost.” She heard someone say behind her, making her stop in her tracks, her eyes narrowing from the corner of her eye.
The stranger laughed, coming next to her, hovering in the air on an oar. She seemed to be a human, but her scent and aura were different. She had long, bright blue hair placed in a high ponytail and she had pink eyes and wore a pink kimono with a white strap around the middle. Rayne's eye twitched from the sound of her high, giggly voice, it sent a chill dancing up and down her spine.
“Hello there! I'm Botan; you must be Rayne! I've heard so much about you, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person!” she finished, beaming with so much spirit and cheerfulness, Rayne could barely refrain from hurling.
“Yeah.... pleasure I'm sure.” Rayne said, still looking down hallways.
“Oh no, the pleasure is all mine! Imagine finally meeting the demon with all the spirit energy one could imagine! It's unbelievable! I've never met a demon that...”
“Hey Botan.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Shut up.” Rayne said calmly, eyes closed, as she walked ahead, leaving Botan in the dust.
“Well that was quite rude! And after I spent all this time searching for you! I was going to escort you to your room but no.....”
“You're doing it again, but I'm fine, thanks.” Rayne said but as she looked down the halls zigzagging on and on, she got a large “Anime Sweat Drop” on the back of her head and sighed in defeat. “Fine, these halls are starting to get on my nerves anyway.”
Botan laughed at her stubbornness. “All right then, this way!” she squealed and the next thing Rayne knew, she was being carried off at top speed, clinging to the end of Botan's oar for dear life. Then Botan came to a harsh halt, sending Rayne flying into a wall.
She got up feeling dizzy, rubbing the “Anime Bump” on her head as Botan giggled behind her. Her eye twitched in annoyance, but she soon got over it noticing she was in a hallway full of doors. She blinked and turned to Botan, “So, which one's mine?”
Botan smiled and jumped off her oar as it disappeared into thin air. She helped Rayne up, and started pointing to several doors.
“Okay this is your room, and on your right is Kuwabara's room, Yuskue's to your left, Kurama straight in front of yours, and Hiei is next to him farther down the hall to your right. Everything should be in your room ready for unpacking, but you should get some sleep. My room's farther down the hall, to your left of Kurama's room if you need me.” She finished directing her to the room beside her.
Rayne put her hand on the door and sighed turning her head toward Botan who was already leaving. “Hey Botan, wait.”
Botan stopped blinking in surprise as she turned around. “Yes?”
“..........Thanks for helping me.”
Botan smiled, “No problem!”
Rayne forced a smile, “Yeah, but Botan, before you leave there's something that's been bothering me. What's a person like you doing in Spirit World?”
Botan laughed, “Well I work for Koenma as the guide to the River Styx, or I guess from your world you can call me the `Grim Reaper.'” She finished, waving as she left, leaving Rayne twitching in unbelief.
Rayne shook her head as she opened the door thinking,
This place just gets weirder and weirder.... and who is Kurama?
The door slowly creaked open and she put her hand inside to flip the light switch as she poked her head inside the door. Her eyes were wide, blinking a few times as she made her way into the room completely, closing the door behind her. Botan wasn't joking, everything of hers was there, fitting perfectly in this humongous room, but everything in the room was blank. White walls, plain carpet, empty space, and a mattress with a pillow and blanket on the floor. Rayne's eye twitched in annoyance, but she slammed her backpack on the floor and fell on the mattress with an exhausted sigh, as she turned over curled inside the blanket. It was then she noticed the letter.
“Dear Ms. Rayne Kikuchi,
Hopefully I suspect that you accepted Koenma's proposal and have decided to live with us and become a part of the team. By your aura I can tell you're a strong one and look forward to having you on the team, it's nice to have another girl around here for a change. Oh and by now I'm sure you've noticed how blank your room is, but this was all so short notice we had to put something together. Don't worry though, you'll have your chance tomorrow to fix it up as you please, and if there's still daylight you'll get a chance to fight the boys too! I look forward to seeing you fight, and I hope we can be friends, good luck!
Botan”
Rayne dropped the letter to the floor and turned on her side again, covering herself with the blanket as she slowly fell into the darkness.
She awoke the next morning, early for once, and went to the bathroom, getting in and out of the shower quickly. She slipped into black torn jeans like usual with long stockings striped in black and red, her wallet chain dangling beside her, and a black tee shirt that said in bold dark gray print, “I'M NOT DEPRESSED. I JUST HATE THE WORLD. ENOUGH SAID.” Making sure her dog collar was still secured along with her other usual accessories. She smiled as she buckled the last spike bracelet and left to brush her hair, leaving it long and slightly wavy down her back. She wore combat boots today instead of her usual converse or worn black tennis shoes. She stretched her arms in the air as she walked over to the door and walked out, closing the door behind her.
She dazed out as she walked down the hallways, not noticing when she bumped into someone. She looked up with a grunt to see Botan.
“Oh there you are Rayne! I just went to your room but you weren't there! He he, well Koenma has given me permission to take you to the Human World to shop for your room. How about it?”
“Hn.” Was the only thing Rayne said as she brushed past her, leaving Botan behind with an “Anime Sweat Drop.” She sighed and ran up next to her again.
“Okay, okay! I guess this means you'd rather go alone, no problem! I'll just give you your money and....”
“No need.” Rayne stated calmly, fingering inside her pocket until pulling out a handful of jewels. Botan's eyes sparkled with admiration as they shimmered. Rayne smirked slightly, “Being a thief has its perks.” She said, putting them back in her pocket.
Botan snapped back into reality then, “Okay.... then I'll get you a portal...”
Rayne stopped, sighing, as she looked at Botan somewhat coldly over her shoulder. “When will you learn? I don't need any help, and I never asked for it in the first place.” She finished; seeping into a void she had created below her feet, disappearing before Botan's eyes.
When she reappeared out of the void, she collapsed on her knees breathing heavily from the long trip. Her breath started to balance, and she slowly stood up noticing she was in an alley, by the Music Shack. She put her hands in her pockets, walking calmly down the boulevard of stores until coming to the one she had been searching for, a store that had recently opened much like the “Hot Topic” in America she had once visited only this store sold merchandise specifically for houses. Rayne smiled slightly as she pushed open the door. She browsed for hours, as the sun sunk lower and lower into the distant hills, until she was satisfied. The employees were definitely confused when she had ordered them to place her furniture in an alley, but did as they were told. When she was sure no one was in sight, she opened a void and put her furniture through. After it closed, she opened another that sent her to her old home that was now for sale. She sighed; going inside and walking the halls noticing it nearly empty, except one room, her weapon room. Obviously the toddler was scared she'd use these weapons against him, but she couldn't just leave them behind. She sighed knowing she couldn't possibly take them all and decided on her favorites. She took several daggers, shuriken stars; another handgun to replace her lost one, and a katana. She opened another void and took one last look around before jumping in.
Arriving, she took a deep sigh as she noticed her empty room with furniture scattered everywhere. She changed into something more comfortable, rolling up her sleeves as she pushed all the furniture aside, locking the door, and set up to paint. Not wanting her room to be a regular cave, she passed up the black paint and chose a bloody red color. She let the roller soak up the paint and began on a wall; relieved to be rid of the white. After adding the right amount of coats, she let it dry along with the other three walls as she got out a black paint. She got a smaller paintbrush and dipped it into the black paint as she lifted it up to the wall. With swift movements of the paintbrush, she finished on the last of the many black cats she had drawn around her room, finishing the tip of the last cat's tail. She had always been obsessed with many fantasized creatures like dragons, but she was a true cat lover at heart despite the wolf in her. The cats were designed to show their mischievous, mysterious side, their eyes standing out the most from anything else, their tails swishing freely behind their heads. Rayne laid back on her hands with a small sigh as she looked around in satisfaction, but was forced to stand knowing much more had to be done if she ever wanted to get time to train.
She pushed everything she could out of the room and made sure nothing was on the floor before she centered herself in the middle and concentrated. After a moment her eyes jet open and she released a wave of her energy across the floor. The plain carpet shredded up, leaving only bits that were easy to prick off leaving her floor bare where she replaced it with a fine, black carpet she had chosen herself. After vacuuming around, she finally started for the furniture. The first was a large black dresser with ruby trimming that she placed against the wall near the bathroom door. She then unpacked all of her clothes into the drawers of it and also inside her closet in the other end of the room. There was also a black leather couch and sofa that she placed against the wall on the opposite wall of her doorway near the windowsill that she placed several pillows among the window seat.
It was then she dragged her monstrous bed against the wall left of the doorway and threw the old mattress out into the hallway along with the pillow and blanket that laid on it. She walked back into the bathroom and retrieved the sheets, comforter, and pillowcases. The sheets were a mix between satin and Egyptian fabric of a silky red wine color, and the comforter was completely black with a black panther walking among a jungle floor on it designed very beautifully and outlined so that the panther was noticeable in all the black, and the pillows each were either black or the red color of her sheets. From the opposite wall to her bed she struggled to put an entertainment center up with a large television, included with VHD and DVD player. As she put away the DVDs she had brought along with other videos, she found hidden in the bottom of a box, her old PS2. She rubbed the back of her head wondering how long it's been, but shrugged as she set it up and put away her video games. As she made her way into the closet to stack the shelves, she noticed spare room on a wall and smiled as she hammered in hooks and small bars to hang her weapons that she had brought. She walked back out and set up her stereo right to her doorway and stacked up her CDs beside it as she walked into the bathroom. She put away towels and rags into the closet as well as hanging a few towels and setting out some rags for use inside the shower/bathtub along with the shampoos, body wash, scents, razors, and soaps. She made sure to put away the toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, face wash, hand soaps, as she set out her hair and toothbrush. She lit several candles and set them along the room and bathroom and lighted an incense to let the aroma consume the room in an embrace. She looked at her bed desirably with tired eyes, but dragged herself back into the bathroom to relieve her of the sweat with a shower. After cleaning up after herself she dressed into a spaghetti top with sweat pants as she made her way to the bed.
Too far.
She collapsed then and there on to the floor and blacked out, snoozing exhaustedly.
(Ketchup: *Anime Dizzy Eyes* Damn that had to have taken me at least ten minutes to think up all that.... Oh sorry! Hope you like your room; carry on! )
~*~ Meanwhile~*~ (Earlier)
It is downstairs where the Yu Yu Hakusho Gang is scattered about boridly carrying on when a loud thump is heard upstairs. It was from Rayne's room, they soon realized, and left to greet her only to find the door locked and no sound behind it. Muttering in confusion, they retreated downstairs again only to hear heavy things being shoved across the floor,
Again from Rayne's room.
They ignored it, knowing very well she hates to be disturbed, and continue listening as she walks back and forth across the room, carrying, moving, or lifting something all over until she settled to an easy walk where soon after the sound of running water followed. She was obviously getting a shower, they presumed, as she got out and there was silence as she dressed, and more silence there after.
And then something was heard pummeling to the ground with a large thump where nothing but that same eerie silence followed.
Aggravated and even some concerned, they made their way back upstairs finding the door still locked. They banged on the door, and again, calling out her name but she did not answer. There was silence again, but mainly a frustrated silence. Yuskue kicked down the door in his impatience to find her lain across the floor, her chest moving up and down steadily.
They all got *Anime Sweat Drops* on their heads as Kurama walked beside her and lifted her up, and laid her in her bed, covering her with the comforter. He looked back to see Yuskue and Kuwabara already looking about the room, mainly awing at the entertainment center. He sighed, but blinked in surprise noticing Botan had come in the room and was scolding them harshly as she took away what they held of hers and scooted them out. Kurama smiled faintly as he looked back to her and saw Hiei still there as well.
“She's seems to be such an angry girl the way she acts around us.... and yet, right now as she sleeps, she couldn't look more peaceful...” Kurama murmured knowing his friend had easily heard him.
Hiei looked away from the sleeping girl, drawing his hands in his pockets as he stalked away muttering his famous “Hn.” as he did.
Kurama chuckled silently, Hiei had never been one to share his own thoughts that he knew, or was it something he just couldn't say? He looked back at the girl one last time before he walked out, closing the door after him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~
Her body had strained itself nearly to its climax, but she was one too stubborn to rest until she was at full health, instead, she got out of bed and showered. She redressed into her usual dog collar, accessories, slightly baggy jeans and a black shirt with the words,
“Don't call me insane, weird, different, freaky, crazy, or psychotic.... I take it as a compliment.” As she walked out of her room, stretching her arms high in the air as she walked along.
She arrived in the common room where the gang was scattered about doing their-own thing. Kuwabara and Yuskue at it again in some fighting video game, Hiei staring in a never ending daze out the window, but where was Shuichi? Rayne took in a deep breath noticing an alluring smell. She sniffed again.
Food.
She walked away from the common room and into the kitchen, Yuskue and Kuwabara let her go unnoticed as they were glued to the television and Hiei just seemed to not acknowledge her existence, still focused on outside the window as he sat with his knees up to him on the windowsill.
Rayne followed her nose toward the delicious fragrance only to bump into someone. She opened her eyes and saw Shuichi who turned around beaming with his usual smiling.
Rayne's stomach turned.
“Good morning Rayne, nice to see you about again, how are you feeling? We found you on the floor last night...” he finished, his words dripping in concern.
“I was just tired is all, I shouldn't of pushed myself like that, but I would of rather finished my room then so I can fight now.” She ended punching her hands together eagerly.
He chuckled slightly. “I suppose so, you have quite a determination and we saw what you've done with your room, it's fascinating.... but you must really like cats! ^_^”
Rayne tore away from his gaze a moment, blushing in slight embarrassment. “What of it Shuichi? It's no different from your girly obsession with roses.” She smirked in triumph but it soon faded away noticing him switch from a slight blush to a look of paleness.
“You know me only as Shuichi Minamino, but, you see, that is merely my human name that I use while on earth. Here I am known as.... Kurama.” He gave a faint smile looking up to see her expression, but she merely shrugged.
“It's not that big a deal. I've switched with many names in my past to cover my identity. Heh, just another way for a thief to avoid being caught I suppose.” She rubbed the bottom of her nose with her index finger smiling slyly.
Kurama smiled back followed by the echoing growl of Rayne's stomach.
Both her and Kurama got *Anime Sweat Drops* as she rubbed the back of her head, laughing nervously.
“I take it you're hungry. Well you missed breakfast so I guess I'll start lunch now.”
“Thanks...” she said as she turned and stalked back into the common room where the two fools were still glued to the television, yelling and cursing and shoving each other aside. Rayne sighed as she walked past them, ignoring the feeling of Hiei's eyes secretly watching her as she walked back outside.
She could not stand to be cooped up inside. Surrounded by walls, it suffocated her. She was a wolf and wolves needed to run with the wind outdoors. She walked awhile looking at her feet, kicking stray pebbles aside until she came upon a large oak. She jumped to a thick branch that would surely hold strong and sat down against the trunk, watching the sun that only continued to sink into the hills as the day passed on. She took a deep sigh, closing her eyes and letting the wind fly by her and nip at her hair, and before she knew it...
She had fallen asleep.
No longer than an hour later she was awoken when she heard shouting below her. Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked down dazedly.
It was Yuskue. Here to bring her back to Koenma's no doubt.
“C'mon! Kurama finished lunch, it's time to chow down!” he yelled anxiously up to her.
“How odd. I thought you and the other fool would have already devoured every morsel, but it seems even living food disposals have hearts. Fine then. Go ahead, I'll catch up.”
Yuskue scratched his nose innocently yet slyly at that remark but nodded as he turned around putting his hands behind his head as he walked off.
Rayne watched him leave and sighed as she turned around and leaped off the branch, landing perfectly on her feet seconds later. She walked back with no haste, looking up at the skies still dazedly as she finally came back to what she now may as well call “home.”
She walked inside, the door clicking shut behind her as she came into the kitchen. The others were just finishing, but there was still a plate of food saved. Rayne would smile, but refused to show it as she took her place at the table, eating silently. As she stood and turned to clean her plate another stranger stood before her.
It was a male with short brown hair and chocolate eyes wearing nearly all blue with a long red scarf around his shoulders. He had “Jr.” stamped on his forehead where his bangs parted and a blue pacifier was in his mouth.
Rayne's eye twitched as she recognized the scent.
“Hello Koenma. In this form it's an improvement, but you should lose the pacifier.” She stated in amusement.
He scoffed and looked back up at her. “Enough Rayne. Now that you have eaten I think it's time you begin training with the boys.” Koenma finished showing even a toddler could be serious, but she really couldn't call him a toddler now, could she?
Rayne nodded anxiously awaiting the fight as one after another, everyone piled into an arena just outside. The courtyard was enormous, marked in several spots to indicate a ring in which two or more would quarrel, while at the far end was a large wall that had a hook a punching bag hung from and bars to hold several kinds of weapons.
Rayne had become too eager to contain herself, without warning she walked into the large ring. She bent her knees, stretching every which way and as she stood to crack her knuckles she stared back at the others, begging for an opponent.
Walking on Water
Kuwabara was the first of the four to come to the challenge, which Koenma and the other four sat on a bench and Botan stepped up to the sidelines, clearing her throat.
“Okay! This will be a series of one-on-one matches to witness Rayne's true potential in fighting. Anything goes in order for your victory, regular hand-to-hand, powers, or just brute strength, but killing is not allowed! If you are rendered unconscious you lose or if you are down for more than ten seconds you're out! Now.... BEGIN!” She yelled, her hands swinging down.
Rayne looked up ahead studying her opponent. He was muscle-head just like the other ningen (human), only a lot weaker and slower. He was one not to think before he charged, but to just go head on into battle without even thinking about it. He showed no creativity in battle, but to just swing in every direction like a madman hoping luck would suffice.
Rayne sighed, what a weak opponent she had been put up against, but she supposed beggars couldn't be choosers. She got into a fighting stance, waiting for Kuwabara to make a move, staring at him with not a single emotion showing on her strict face.
A gulp formed in his throat as Kuwabara put out his right hand, clenching the wrist tightly with the left hand as his spirit energy went out of control. His spirit energy was a yellow-orange color that sparked into the form into a large sphere in the palm of his right hand. Kuwabara clenched the sphere tightly making it form into a stick and with a gurgling shout of more spirit energy it extended and shaped into that of a sword; a Spirit Sword.
Rayne sighed again, impatiently waiting as he finally leaped from the ground, attempting to slash down from above onto her.
Rayne smirked as Kuwabara's sword finally came down and stroke, but what it slashed was nothing more than a hologram of where Rayne once was. A sweat drop formed on his head as he looked around in slight panic, but then something tapped on his shoulder.
He looked behind him in time to see a smirking Rayne and in the next second that same fist that sent him plunging before crusaded and slammed up into his jaw, sending him flying threw one tree and bending over another.
Rayne flexed her fingers before putting her hand back in her pocket and taking her place back in the ring. Kuwabara did not move, but she had not killed him, only rendered him unconscious.
Kurama ran behind the ring to pick up Kuwabara, taking him to the bench where Botan had brought a first aid kit. The other ningen Yuskue then stepped into the ring, grinning as if he had already won.
That annoyed her.
Her eyes narrowed slightly and her aura had come out into the open, flowing in massive waves above her. The sheer power of it sent Yuskue skidding back, but he dug his foot into the ground as not to go further.
But the smirk did not go away, Yuskue made his own aura visible, and it surprised Rayne that a mere ningen could posses such energy.... so much it sickened her. She had clenched fists at her sides, impatiently waiting for the match to be called so she could wipe that smirk off his face.
“BEGIN!”
Rayne went to the offensive first, relying on her speed to make her way behind him. He was better than she thought, he had turned around, but he was still too slow. She rapidly punched him in the stomach, ending it with a kick up against his jaw and another in his stomach that sent him flying backwards.
He got on his feet quickly, wiping his mouth of the trail of blood as he ran at Rayne, rapidly punching, but only succeeded in hitting air as she avoided him easily. She smirked and prepared to move behind him again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~
-Yuskue's Direction-
The match began and I could see the overconfidence I had was just as annoying to her as it was to Hiei when we fought. She was definitely fast, maybe even faster than Hiei, as her first move was to move behind me. I smiled to myself knowing that was usually Hiei's tactic.
I took a guess knowing that she'd go from behind and turned around, but I still wasn't quick enough.
She surprised me, she was right there face to face with me and she did not hesitate even a second. She began rapidly punching me in the stomach at a remarkable speed; the pain was unbearable, my eyes were bulging out of their sockets and my mouth hung wide open. But it didn't stop then, oh no, she then kicked upward into my jaw and then finally sent me flying backward with a kick to my stomach. I squinted my eyes from the pain, but at the same time I was thrilled for the challenge, and next thing I knew, I was on my feet again.
It was my turn now.
I ran at her with the best speed I could master, sending punches flying her way, but she always dodged them so my fist would always only meet the air. My teeth were grinding as I prepared to go at her again but then I held back as I remembered something the old hag (Genkai) had taught me last time she trained me.
Use all of your senses and never rely on one alone. The old hag's words rang inside my head.
I sighed, trying to remain calm. I knew she had disappeared again, so I closed my eyes and listened.
There.
I jolted around and my eyes shot open as I sent my fist flying at her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~
-Rayne's Direction-
Again she had dodged his punch only aggravating him further. She smirked as she faded into nothing more than a hologram, speeding invisibly in circles around him, but he did nothing but stand there, with his eyes closed.
She gritted her teeth and ran behind him, but her feet skidded to a halt as he suddenly faced her, well aware of where she was. Her eyes were big; surprised as he smirked at her and then she felt a great pain form in her chest.
She looked down to see his fist still at her stomach again punching rapidly just as she had done to him. His punches were brutal; knowing this may be his only chance so he was sure to make the best of it.
He ended it and she went flying. She glared at him as she sat up, ignoring the aches and pains. She got to her feet quickly and she circled him, him having his fists up and watching her every move. He expected her to move behind him or beside him again so began to open his hearing, but she surprised him.
She ran at him dead on, face-to-face, and started punching and kicking powerfully all around his chest and stomach. She put down his head by taking hold of the back of his neck and kicked him with her knee. Then she elbowed him across the arena.
He got up sore fully, rubbing his head and looking at her through one eye for it hurt to keep the other open. He stood with slight difficulty and clenched his fists, trying to let out his spirit energy again. It was igniting his whole body, but then all that energy seeped into his right index finger.
Rayne cocked an eyebrow as the energy formed into a blue sphere on the end of his finger and he held his other fingers to make it look like a gun.
“SPIRIT GUN!!!!!!”
He yelled at the top of his lungs sending a powerful blow of his energy toward Rayne. She was surprised at first, but quickly avoided by doing a back flip onto a tree branch above her. She panted slightly as he began to form another bullet. She scowled at him as she reached under her sleeve and on her upper arm was placed her good old handgun. She took it off and aimed it at Yuskue and he took a moment to stare at her confusedly.
“You really think a puny gun like that can stand a chance against my Spirit Gun?” Yuskue was on the point of tears from laughter, but Rayne only tightened the grip she had on her gun.
She leaped down where they would face each other, guns aimed at one another as Rayne smirked. “Go ahead, we shall see who is victorious when this is over.”
Yuskue grinned and fired, the massive energy going at a remarkable speed toward her. She smiled, focused on her own energy; making it all come out in the open as she charged for the energy and at the last second
She kicked it.
That sent it repelling back in Yuskue's direction, and Rayne ran threw it completely without harm as she came next to Yuskue in less than a second with her gun at his heart and used the other hand to hold back his energy with ease.
“So how would you rather die? A blast of your own energy that could kill you in seconds, or a gunshot threw the heart that will only make your death more suffering?” she grinned as he looked at her with big eyes.
She looked at the corner of her eye noticing the others holding their breaths and sighed. She elbowed his energy that was still fighting to overpower her, which sent it flying into the distance. She took her gun away and kneed him in the crouch, making him limp over and fall on the ground moaning.
“Hn.” Was all she said as she turned on him to begin her next challenge.
Rayne took a deep breath as she stretched her arms in the air above her. Never before had she fought a ningen with such remarkable strength.... honestly, no ningen lived to tell she had fought them in the first place.
Rayne stood back up as Kurama got into the ring, bowing respectfully and she returned with a bow of her own. Rayne took a moment to study her opponent like she usually always did.
Kurama.... she had heard of that name... she was sure of it, but couldn't quite place it. Either way, Kurama was a very wise, tactical opponent always with a strategy to conquer. He was very skilled, and his master was that of plants, roses in particular.
“.... BEGIN!”
Rayne stood still, not being able to predict what his fighting style actually was. He slowly circled her, Rayne backed away, reflecting his movements as she stared at him observantly. At last he made a move by jumping into the air reaching behind him.... no in his hair. And out he pulled a
Red thorn rose.
Kurama let his spirit energy flow into the simple plant; the fibers stretched and thickened, the thorns grew longer, sharper, deadlier. Finally, the petals rained from the top of the stem, releasing a sweet aroma.
Rose Whip!
The weapon cracked. Kurama raised it and swung it in a circular pattern above his head, and then darted it down attempting to hit Rayne.
She leaped away at the last moment, avoiding the piercing thorns. Rayne landed back on her feet only to have the whip lash at her again. She was constantly on the move, an inch away from being pierced each time she dared to pause.
I'm becoming annoyed. Rayne thought to herself as she dodged another blow. She smirked down at Kurama seeing that he was wearing himself out just trying to keep up. She jumped up into a tree branch unnoticed by Kurama, and took this moment to reach for her daggers; their sheathes around her ankles.
She spun them in her hands before leaping down in front of Kurama, and regaining a stance.
“Hn, how disappointing. I thought you were better than this, so humor me. I won't move from this spot, so attack me all you want.”
Kurama looked at her with confused eyes glinted with a bit of concern, but she held an emotionless face standing firm in a stance. Kurama nodded and raised his whip, bringing it down with all his strength.
Rayne waited until the last moment, scaring the others just for her own amusement, before holding her daggers up in a defensive “X” position, warding off Kurama's whip. She held one there to ward off the whip and held the other up above her head bringing it down with all the strength she could muster.
She sliced off a fair portion of Kurama's whip; she heard it faintly cry as it shriveled up into a simple weed. Kurama was frustrated, but far from giving in.
He leaped at her, them continuing in a hand-to-hand combat. He attempted to punch her directly, but she held up her arm, it taking the blow for her. Rayne sniffed the air as she continued dodging, still remaining in that exact spot the entire time.
Another plant.
She looked down and Kurama smirked up at her as he plunged a seed threw one of her wounds. She cursed under her breath; frustrated she hadn't seen it coming. After all, that's what Kurama was known for; his element of surprise.
Kurama jumped back as Rayne's eyes began to widen and beads of sweat drowned down her face. She dropped to her knees, breathing heavily and glared at Kurama with one eye as the other one was clenched shut from pain. His expression was a blank and he inched closer to her until he stood towering above her.
“If you don't give in now, the poison will spread and it will be too late for me to do anything. Please surrender. Let me help you.” Kurama said in a low, worried tone, his eyes pleading her.
“Let me help you.” Those same words rang in her head like a broken record. Her teeth grinded and her eyes were now flashing red in anger. Her own aura rose, blowing her hair wildly.
“I don't need help from the likes of you or any of you pathetic bakas.” She said in a deadly calm tone. Her hands that lay at her sides clenched in fists were sparking with dark energy (that entire time actually).
He sighed and inched closer, extending his hand. “Please...”
“NO!” she yelled and faced him with her eyes now completely red, and, without thinking, she plunged her arms in front of him as if to shove him away, but instead her energy left her palms and ensnared him.
They could no longer see him; he was trapped inside a ball of dark energy that was floating into the air.
Her eyes were wide as they returned to their normal color, the wind dispersed and strands of hair fell in her face.
Oh boy... she thought to herself, cursing her own recklessness as she turned to the others.
“Call the match!!”
“I can't... neither of you is unconscious or out of the ring for that matter.” Botan huffed in defense.
Pathetic excuse for a messenger of death... Rayne murmured in frustration, looking up with large eyes to see the ball had only gotten bigger.
“Oh just perfect... it's already started...” she whispered as she held up her hands toward the mass of energy.
“Darkness, head my call, return to your master and release this helpless fool.” Rayne murmured in a soft voice as the sparking came to an end and it slowly faded into shadows, leaping toward Rayne.
The lifting black fog evaporated, the energy returned within her, as Kurama, now in view, fell from the air.
Botan was the first to run to him, while Rayne walked behind her. She stepped in front of the panicked Botan and turned Kurama over to see him.
He was a mess.
His face was still stained with blood and being in that ball leaves a scar that is marked in your own blood across your forehead, your cheeks, and down the chin in a particular, demon marking. He's should consider himself lucky the complete marking wasn't there, for it was made the Japanese symbol of death. Rayne sighed as she inspected him noticing there was still blood trickling from his wounds, but the thing that attracted her attention were his eyes. They had lost that beautiful emerald that shone with the happiness she had learned to accept and were now dull and bloodshot. He was shaking, murmuring incoherent things to himself. Rayne shook her head knowing that it may be too late for him.
He had gone insane from his own ultimate fear.
Botan was on the point of tears. She was usually a cheerful, happy-go-lucky person, but she truly admired Kurama in her heart, and seeing him like this was crushing it to pieces. And Rayne had been the one to stomp all over them. She stood and shook Rayne by the collar of her torn and shredded shirt, but Rayne was all mute.
“What have you done? What did you do to Kurama?!” she demanded while shaking her, tears flowing in rivers down her cheeks. The others were at her side, trying to calm her, but she ignored them.
“What? What did you do?” by this time Botan had sunk down on her knees still crying in hysteria.
“Hn, stop graveling, it's pathetic.” Rayne paused noticing she had gotten her attention, but she was still glaring.
[sigh]“Look, my emotions can be very hard to control and anger is one that I try to avoid but you and your friends just keep making it difficult for me.
[clenches fist] Kurama's feminism may have struck my nerves and not to mention his cheerfulness, that I admit, but I would never hurt him beyond the boundaries of a fair fight. That power is one that I haven't used in nearly a century... but that only happened because.... well lets just say I was VERY mad.”
Rayne sighed at being reminded of that memory. “It is called Fear Entrapment and is probably my most lethal weapon in battle. Basically, it traps the victim, in this case Kurama, in their worst nightmare. And as they say, one's fears can drive them insane or even scare them to their deaths. Let's just be lucky Kurama is only experiencing hysteria; but it will fade eventually.” Rayne forced a faint smile in that last statement.
Botan broke down into tears again, hugging Rayne's leg as her cries were muffled in the cloth of Rayne's pants. Rayne laid her hand on top of her head as the others smiled [except Hiei] down at her.
Then they heard laughing; hysterical laughing. [Yeah, I'm talking Joker from Batman laughing!]
They turned to see Kurama still lying on his side, staring and laughing at them with big eyes that only continued to lose their color.
“You've forgotten; I didn't go unconscious. This fight isn't over.” He said in a voice that wasn't his own... it was deeper, colder, and dripping with blinded hysteria.
Rayne raised an eyebrow in interest as Kurama's eyes grew wider if even possible and changed into a golden color. The others made their way to the sides, at ready if confrontation were to arise.
Smoke and that same overwhelming scent of rose petals filled the air, blinding Rayne from seeing.
I can at least smell him. Rayne thought to herself as she began to search for his scent. Her eyes widened.
His scent had been replaced with another.
“Show yourself!” Rayne yelled in fury as the smoke suddenly dispersed, as if obeying her command.
Out of the fog came the source of that bewitching scent.
It was a kitsune.
He was very tall, well over 6”[feet], wearing bagged white pants and a toga-like shirt. He had long silver hair just above his butt with silver, pointy kitsune ears and a bristly tail to match. His eyes were a beautiful, shimmering gold.
Rayne took a fighting stance trying to predict what she could not.
He smirked. “Greetings Wolf. Thank you for releasing me from that horrible prison.” She was still eyeing him suspiciously; she did not bother in keeping up her guard, leaving her wide open. He came beside her within seconds, towering above her.
He looked down at her with a cold, emotionless expression.
He looked at the side, seeing the others ready to attack him, and he turned to them.
“You will not interfere.” He stated and he filled the air with mist... again. But this was different... they may not be able to see her and this stranger but she sure could see them... clearly.
She faced him again and he to her.
“You may be my rescuer, oddly enough, but you are still my opponent.” He stated, stepping toward her.
Rayne took a step back.
His eyes widened ever so slightly and he disappeared, reappearing behind her with a small dagger to her throat.
“Bad little wolf. Did you forget your promise? You said you'd stay still.” He said, teasing her by pressing the dagger to her neck, a thin trail of blood flowing from down.
“Yes, but that promise was strictly for Kurama, NOT YOU.” She said that last part with her aura rising, releasing her from his grasp. She smirked at him, only to collapse on one knee again, remembering the poison still flowing within her.
Damn it Kurama... She thought to herself in frustration.
“Foolish Wolf. How could you forget such a serious wound so easily?”
“Hn.” She stated simply and sunk her fangs into her arm, her eyes glowing red once more. When at last her fangs arose, a long vine was intertwined between them.
Not exactly the best floss, is it? She thought sarcastically before taking the vines out of her teeth and doing something very reckless.
She pulled on the vine, more of it coming out of her arm. She winced and dared to tug more.
“MADNESS! Do you wish to kill yourself before our duel? I will not allow such coward ness!”
“Shut it.” She said simply, half ignoring his words as she tugged again, this time with all her strength.
The vine came out all at once.
Damn that hurts!! She screamed inside her head, not daring to make a whimper out loud; that would be humiliating.
Blood was pouring out of her arm, but she didn't care. Her mind was on the fight alone.
She got into a stance; ignoring the odd looks she was receiving from the kitsune.
They both leaped into the air at the same time, exchanging punches and a few kicks as they did. Rayne blocked, but the loss of blood was clouding her vision, making it harder for her to concentrate on staying conscious.
Her eyes closed for merely a second, but a second too long, and she went flying across the arena from a punch the kitsune had given her.
She sat up rubbing her cheek a moment before standing and going at him again.
Her expression was dull and blank as he swung at her again, and she followed his movements making an easy dodge. Again he swung and again she avoided, moving like swaying water.
He cocked an eyebrow at her, but her face was still all a blank. He attempted to kick her and she ended up leaning back with as much length as his leg.
She looked back up at him, a smirk curving around her lips.
“Powers of water demons. Water reflects everything like a mirror, image for image, move for move.” She smirked at him. He was frustrated, but refused to let it slip in his expression, but simply let his eyes light up red for a split second, showing her he was indeed angry. She regained a stance, showing him she had gone back to serious. He nodded getting into a stance of his own.
She put her hands on top of each other, palms on top of each other but not touching, and started chanting something as the kitsune stood there staring observantly.
“HAAAAH!” the dark energy rose from her hands and flew at him dead on.
The kitsune just stood there foolishly, and tried to hold it off. He was concentrating so much he didn't notice when Rayne came at his side.
She punched him with all her strength, eyes glowing red, before she sent a very familiar wave of black energy at him.
He screamed bloody torture as he met the same fate as Kurama had, rising into the air in the ball of energy.
Rayne panted; she had never used that attack twice in the same battle, nor did she ever consider herself heartless enough to use it period.
She could hear him banging against the wall separating them in the black void, scratching and clawing, cursing her vary name.
[sweat drop] Well at least he remembers my name... she thought with a sigh as she lifted her arms. The darkness turned into a thick black fog and floated into her palms, inside her once more.
She sighed, wanting more than ever to sit down, but she couldn't until the job was finished.
She gritted her teeth as she made her way over to the kitsune. He seemed unconscious and even more of a mess than Kurama.
Guess I made him stay in too long... she thought to herself as she reached her hand out, only to have the kitsune grasp it firmly. Her eyes jetted open widely and beads of sweat lined her face, but he only smirked at her.
He yanked at her arm, making her fall to her knees beside him. He yanked again so that her ear was next to his mouth.
Another sweat drop fell and hit the ground.
“Well.... done. You are indeed a strong wolf, Rayne. My name is.... Yoko Kurama.” He whispered.
He began to transform back, leaving Rayne with big, unbelieving eyes. He put out his hand weakly and stroked her chin, grinning, before he shut his eyes and became an unconscious Kurama.
Yoko Kurama.... was the last thing on her mind before she fell, face first, into the sleeping Kurama.
The fog lifted, revealing the others who were all scattered around the courtyard.
Rayne couldn't take it anymore; darkness overwhelmed her.
Rayne awoke later on in a daze, clutching her head as she sat up in the bed she laid in. She leaned forward, grinding her teeth as she felt the enormous pain surging through her wounds overwhelming her at that moment. She looked around and found herself in her room, her body thoroughly wrapped and fresh blood staining threw the bandages.
She took off the covers and sat on the bed's edge, preparing herself before she finally stood. Her eye twitched and she let out a few low grunts, but that was it.
She limped to the bathroom, closing the door behind her, as she prepared a hot shower. Her clothes fell to the floor and she began to unwind the bandages that still oozed with her own blood. She tossed the bandages aside into the wastebasket before getting in the shower.
The water stung and burned, but she gritted her teeth once again to suppress the pain as she bathed. She washed the dry blood still on her body clean and all the sweat from the training she had done the day before. She almost cringed at the thought of her filthy bed sheets; she would have to wash them later that day she thought to herself. She rinsed and then took a deep sigh before turning off the water and stepping out, placing a towel around her.
The pain was returning, and fresh blood was beginning to fall as she made her way to the counter. She struggled to bend down as she retrieved a first aid kit and at last found the bandages.
She put the new bandages around her body before washing her face and teeth. Her hair was wet and frizzy, but she quickly held out her hand. Being a water demon, she easily took the water away in her hair and body, it forming into a sphere of water in her palm. She gave a faint, weak smile, before she tossed the sphere into the bathtub and made her way back out.
She looked to the window at her right as she stepped out, the day would soon be over and the sunset was drawing near. She sighed and began to walk again to her dresser. She dressed in something comfortable; black jeans with another loose black T-shirt. She did not bother with her bracelets, but she reached up and grasped her neck, rubbing it softly and sighed as she reached for her dog collar; she felt naked without it.
She struggled a bit with her shoes, having to bend down to tie the laces, but at last she secured them and stood straight. She took a deep breath before stepping out of her room, and down the twisting hallway.
She walked down the halls looking around blankly before coming to the common room where the others were scattered. Each froze and stared at her, unbelieving that she was able to stand again. Rayne tried to ignore the pressure being smacked at her directly as she made her way into the kitchen, feeling the eyes of the others come and go. She stopped and turned to glare at them; that gave them the point. She gave a frustrated sigh as she walked into the kitchen where Kurama was preparing dinner.
Kurama looked up with his usual kindhearted grin.
“Didn't expect you to be up and about for a while, Rayne, we thought it'd be a few more days before you even woke.”
Rayne managed a smirk. “I'm a demon, my body can take great damage and heal within a matter of days, but I feel better.... and thanks for the medicine I guess....” Rayne finished, a light cherry color lighting her face as she brushed away a strand of hair that fallen on her face.
Kurama looked surprised a moment, but quickly smiled with a color lighting his face as well before he turned back to cooking.
Rayne turned back and saw Hiei, perched on his usual spot at the windowsill, staring out dazedly.
It was then it came back to Rayne; she had never fought with Hiei. That same curiosity overwhelmed her with so many thoughts clouding her mind; what did he fight like? Was he strong or weak? Rayne couldn't take it anymore; but she refused to make a scene in front of the others.
As she walked back toward the hallway, she was next to him for a mere second, but it was more than enough time to send him a telepathic message.
Hiei, meet me outside in the arena when everyone else is asleep. Was all she managed as she passed and entered the hallway.
Hiei sat up slightly in his seat and looked around, into the hallway, cocking an eyebrow as she disappeared from his sight.