I'm going crazy... I dunno why I'm sending out two chapters in a week.
Anyway, send your C&Cs to me!!! NOTE: this is an important turning point for
this fic.
Thanks to Rhionae for pre-reading this fic for me.
The previous story and all chapters before this could be found on my page
except for Chapter 3.
Siew Lee
[wsiewlee@tm.net.my]
http://members.xoom.com/hiei
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~~~The Past, The Present And The Future~~~
~~~The Present - Vengeance~~~
Part 4 - Martial Arts Or Ki?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a beautiful afternoon.
Was it? Maybe to *certain* people only.
Arisa whooped and yelled in delight once they were out of
earshot. Obviously, she was overjoyed that she was elected as an
investigator. Misuko also felt very happy for her friend and
congratulated her at once. Both girls laughed and joked all their way
down the corridor, and practically danced down to their knees. At
last, they sat down on the floor in a far off, deserted end of a
corridor.
"Misuko, I'm simply too delighted to be chosen as a Reikai
Investigator. I owe you this time for recommending me," said Arisa
happily as she folded her legs beneath her.
"Well, you don't owe me because you always helped me in my
schoolwork back in junior high. Besides that, you really have the
abilities for the minimum qualifications," answered Misuko as she sat
beside Arisa.
"I still would like to repay you one day." said Arisa
sheepishly. She didn't quite like people praising her intelligence.
Then, a wicked smile lit up her face. Evilly, she whispered into
Misuko's ear, "Who is your boyfriend? Let me guess... is it my boss
Koenma-sama or is it Yusuke-san, my future sensei cum comrade?"
Misuko blushed at Arisa's teasing, and her friend laughed at
the sight of her red face. "Who do you think it is?" Misuko asked
as she stuck out her tongue at Arisa, quite reluctant to reveal the
bursting truth.
Arisa put a finger to her head and began analyzing the facts
set before her. "Hm... Yusuke-san is more the well-built type, I
doubt he excelled in the academic sector. As for Koenma-sama, I think
he is the well learned type and spent nearly all his life in his
office. I don't think he might be able to do something like Yusuke-
san's Reigun. But one thing I'm sure of, both of them are cute and
good-looking," said Arisa as she finished voicing out her thoughts.
"Alright, I'll tell you. It's Koenma-sama, your boss,"
confessed Misuko, turning red to the very tips of her ears. "Promise
me that you won't blurt it out to the whole world..."
"Wow! The pretty girl of our ex-junior high has finally found
herself a boyfriend! As if nobody knew about it..." teased Arisa
continuously.
"C'mon, don't laugh at me like that. I had already told you and
now you are teasing me endlessly," Misuko chided Arisa.
Arisa suddenly stopped laughing and lowered her strong voice
into a soft tone. Mysteriously, she whispered into Misuko's ear.
"Have you guys done anything serious yet? Like um..." Arisa stopped
there.
Misuko faced her friend with mock horror and slapped Arisa on
the arm. "Don't assume with your twisted thinking. We haven't done
anything yet." As she said that, her face turned red again. Misuko
had tendency to blush easily whenever anybody said something
embarrassing.
"Yet... I can see your face turning red..." said Arisa in a
singsong voice. "Confess now!" ordered Arisa as she pointed a finger
at Misuko.
"C'mon Arisa, it won't be very sweet to say so," said Misuko
slowly. Arisa glared at her jokingly and reached out a finger to
poke Misuko in her funny bone and ribs until Misuko screamed
surrender.
"Alright! Alright! I give in! Don't poke me anymore," begged
Misuko under Arisa 's merciless torture. "We have kissed and hugged a
few times but we haven't done anything more serious than that.
Honest!" emphasized Misuko as she said the last few words.
"Looks and sounds like you are telling the truth at last." said
Arisa, snickering and trying very hard to suppress a burst of
laughter. Misuko's head hung down, blushing furiously.
"Well, I'm just teasing you. I'm so jealous of you, having a
boyfriend while I myself didn't even have one. Could someone tell me
why guys don't seem to be attracted by me more often than by you?"
said Arisa in a complaining tone.
"I think maybe you are smarter than them. Maybe you are too
tomboyish," suggested Misuko, playfully punching Arisa on the elbow.
*Yes, the bursting truth is out there... You act like a boy too
often,* added Misuko mentally.
"Cut the crap now. By the way, where the heck am I going to
sleep tonight?" asked Arisa, her tears running down her cheeks.
After that finishing that sentence, she erupted into another burst of
giggles.
Misuko remained silent for a moment and began thinking. She
reached out a hand to pat on Arisa 's shoulder. "You can sleep
together with me in my room for the meantime. Koenma-sama is
very busy these days and I don't want to disturb him. I'm sure he
won't mind," assured Misuko.
"Then where are you going to sleep? I'm a very bad sleeper. I
snore, I kick around in my dreams at night," said Arisa. "Oh! I
know! Don't tell me that you are itching to take this as an excuse to
sleep in my boss' bedroom tonight," said Arisa, a naughty look
forming on her face.
Misuko slapped her friend real hard on her back and heard
Arisa screamed aloud in pain. Arisa burst into another series of
exploding laughter. "You are being very naughty, Misuko," laughed an
oxygen-deprived Arisa Kino.
"Okay, just joking," said Arisa as she calmed down and saw
Misuko's shocked expression. *Don't go too far,* thought Arisa to
herself.
"If you really insist, I guess I will stay with Botan for a
few days. At least the thought in my mind isn't what you imagined,"
chided Misuko as she got up and straightened her rumpled kimono.
"C'mon, let's go to the canteen for our dinner. It is already so late
and we have missed lunch entirely. I think we will be able to meet
your new teammates tomorrow afternoon."
Arisa got up and nodded too. "We'll have dinner and I'll have
a short nap before going off for some training myself. I need a
shower and a change of clothes too. I can't go training in these,"
said Arisa as she pointed to her own outfit.
Both girls began walking down the confusing corridors and
hallways.
"Cute outfit. Where did you got it?" asked Misuko.
"Oh, in South East Asia when I went there for the student
exchange program," answered Arisa. Fading away, the voices in the
hallways finally died out.
And another day passed just like that.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Kurama! We have been looking for you for the whole morning!
Where were you?" asked Yusuke as he and Kuwabara sat down on the
chairs with Kurama and Koenma.
"Oh, I was in the garden, since I couldn't sleep last night."
explained Kurama, knowing very well himself that he slept late this
morning as he was totally drained because of writing that journal
until nearly dawn.
"Yusuke, what do you think of her?" asked Koenma as he sat down
with all the members of his Reikai investigator team except for Hiei,
who insisted on sitting all by himself.
"You mean Arisa-san?" asked Yusuke in return as he chewed on
his bread.
"Who is Arisa?" interrupted Kuwabara from the side. Kuwabara
simply can't get the head or tail of it. Koenma didn't even pay
attention to him and continued ignoring him.
"Who is Arisa?" asked Kuwabara again, but nobody listened to
him as usual. The chattering in the canteen continued.
At last, Kuwabara blew up and yelled, "Koenma! You are so
selfish! You already have Misuko! Don't tell me now that you have
a new girlfriend!"
Suddenly, the whole cafeteria turned silent and a few hundred
pairs of eyes turned their gazes to stare at Koenma's table along
with Yusuke and friends. Just then, the doorbell rang and two teenage
girls walked in. The few hundred pairs of eyes turned to look at the
two poor new victims. Then, the whole cafeteria erupted into
laughter.
"See what you have done!" scolded Yusuke towards Kuwabara. For
once, Kazuma Kuwabara, who always thought he was the most macho guy
in the whole wide world, remained silent, sitting there quietly. *Oh
no... I'm really in deep shit now...* chanted Kuwabara softly,
praying hard Koenma wouldn't shoo him out of Reikai this very moment.
Two poor girls looked around the whole area with a bewildered
look on their faces, obviously confused. Quickly, they checked each
other's clothing and hair. Seeing nothing is out of place, they
searched around for Koenma and gang. At last, they saw the group and
they made their way towards the table in the crowded place.
"Koenma-sama, sorry for not being at work just now," apologized
Misuko again as she and Arisa both grabbed a chair from a
neighboring table. Both of them flopped down the chairs. Koenma
flashed Misuko a suave smile and quietly signaling her to remain
silent as he didn't want Misuko to make any more funny situations.
Koenma got the rest's attention and introduced Arisa to them.
"This is Kazuma Kuwabara and Kurama. Guys, this is Arisa Kino.
She is officially recruited as Reikai's new investigator and her job
is help you guys in future Reikai cases," said Koenma.
"Where's Hiei?" asked Koenma, only to be answered by shrugs.
Each of them were acting very gentlemanly, even Kuwabara; thus
putting forth a hand for a handshake. Kurama also follow suit. Kurama
took a detailed look at Arisa and felt his heart fluster suddenly.
Cold sweat was forming in the palms of his hands. Arisa was talking
excitedly to Yusuke and Kuwabara about past Reikai cases that the
Urameshi team had solved.
Kurama reached out a hand to Arisa. Arisa took his hand
graciously and flashed him her best smile.
"Arisa, you look quite familiar. Are you in my school?" asked
Kurama as he studied her closely. She had nice black hair and a
friendly face. Her eyes, her eyes were the most attractive of all.
Okay, on the second thought, she was a bit rough...
"School? How come I had never come across your name?" replied
Arisa with a questioning look on her face.
"Oh," said Kurama as he racked his brains for an explanation.
He couldn't just tell her that he was youko centuries old. "My actual
name in Ningenkai is Shuiichi Minamino," explained Kurama quickly,
not wanting to arouse suspicions and complications. Just think, how
would a normal human react if he were to walk up and announce that
he was a youko residing in a human body? A parasite...
"Shuiichi... oh no... such a coincidence. Don't tell me that
you are the one to whom I lost by three marks in the final exam,"
guessed Arisa, still not releasing Kurama's hand.
Kurama merely smiled. *Am I really that popular at school?
Identity clashes are quite messy to clean up... * Then, he answered,
"It surprised me that the second in school is a girl. As you know,
the school we are currently studying in still mainly an all-boys
school."
Arisa nodded. She couldn't resist looking at these brilliant
emerald green eyes once more. She also couldn't deny that Kurama was
also getting an eyeful too. Silence hung between them. Their eyes
told everything.
"Huh?" exclaimed Arisa suddenly, thus breaking the pleasant
suspended silence in the air. She turned her head and saw it was
Misuko who was tugging on the sleeve of her outfit.
"What do you want for lunch? I could order for you together
with mine," offered Misuko as she began to get up from her seat.
This wasn't exactly Arisa's idea of shocks... You got the
chance to talk to the cutest guy in school and just to be interrupted
by your cousin... So she forced a smile and answered. "Just order me
anything. You know my appetite, right?"
Misuko smiled. "Just like the old times. You still haven't
changed."
Arisa smiled back and watched her cousin, more a friend than a
relative, walked towards the food counter.
Then, she turned back to face the investigator team before her.
"Yusuke-san, do I have to bring anything special for the training?"
asked Arisa, interested to know more about Reiki training.
"No need, but make sure that you change your outfit. I noticed
that your skirt is a bit too tight at the bottom for proper training,
so I think it might be better if you change into something else,"
explained Yusuke. *Yeah, maybe Keiko would prefer to rip her shirt
with a long slit at the side... That girl must be eating out with
Botan anyway... Such a chatterbox, that Botan is.*
"Okay, imagine giving someone a kick in this," said Arisa as
she cast a glance at her skirt. "Thank goodness I brought some extra
clothes with me this time," sighed Arisa in relief. Misuko just then
came back with a huge tray of food. She just took a small plate of
fruit salad while she pushed the tray over to Arisa. Arisa looked
at it, obviously nearly going crazy at the sight of food. She tucked
in and began eating ravenously.
"Misuko, how can you torture yourself with just with this mite
sized food?" commented Arisa as she began munching on some chips.
Yusuke, Kuwabara and Kurama looked at her eating style and a
bead of cold sweat formed on each of their foreheads.
Koenma just sat there, listening to the on going conversation
as he relaxed to the less tense situation around him. Half an hour
more, then back to the office for a fresh round of office work.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Kurama strolled down the path trailing its way through the
Reikai Imperial Garden. Kurama had emotional problems yesterday and
today. Although it was 3.00 in the afternoon now and the Reikai sun
was glaring brightly in the middle of the sky; the garden still
remained pleasantly cool. There were quite a number of huge, tall
trees shading the delicate plants and flora beneath them. Kurama
leaned against the trunk of one such tree, hoping to find peace of
mind.
Confusion and misunderstanding took turns tormenting his
sanity. As a youko, he had lived for many centuries before he was
born into Ningenkai as Shuiichi Minamino. No matter what type of
situation, he had always managed to save himself, always that easily.
But now, he wasn't even sure what his main problem was. Hiei? Hadn't
he made a promise that he would never think of him again? Kurama tore
himself out of the these thoughts, the gloom and dark space that he
found himself trapped within...
He let his eyes looked around sparsely... A red rose caught his
attention. Kurama gazed at the blooming red rose on a rose bush
beside him. Carefully and avoiding the thorns, he plucked it out.
Holding the rose, he slid down to sit on the soft green grass
below. He had always loved the rose, beautiful yet daring.
The petals are so soft, yet beware of the thorns below. Sweet,
the flower might be, but its poison and pain were still inflicted on
victims. No, not all were victims of carelessness. Some were victims
of self-imposed injury and some of them were victims of emotional
distress. Yet... Kurama loved this flower. So daring, so beautiful,
but sharp thorns pierced through the fragile barrier between humanity
and eternity...
Slowly, he bent down his head and sniffed at it, taking in the
sweet smell. The smell was enchanting and dreamlike.
The rose, Kurama could nearly swore that the flower smiled up
at him. He had decided. Once decided, there was no turning back. He
must forget Hiei.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Oh gods! I'm so stuffed," commented Arisa as she patted her
stomach and flopped down the bed in Misuko's room. Misuko sat down
next to her.
"Still a terrific appetite, judging how much you could swallow
just now," said Misuko as Arisa closed her eyes and nearly drifting
off to sleep. Then, she continued, "Koenma-sama is kind enough to let
me take a half day off work just to make you, Arisa Kino, a VIP at
home."
"Eat! Say 'eat', not 'swallow'. I enjoy my food. Yeah, yeah,
your boyfriend is always the best," teased Arisa as Misuko took a
pillow and hit her with it.
Misuko glanced at her watch. "Get up, Arisa. You have to have a
shower now. I can't wait to introduce Botan and Yukina to you. They
are very friendly people. Anyway, it's already 3.00 in the afternoon
now and there's not much time left," urged Misuko as she tried to
push her friend to get up.
"Do I really have to get up?' asked Arisa, rubbing her eyes.
"Yes!" said Misuko as strictly as she could, but ended up
laughing herself.
Arisa couldn't withstand Misuko's persuasion so she got up with
a groan and trudged towards the bathroom. She grabbed a towel plus a
set of fresh clothes on the way and closed the door behind her.
Lazily, she undressed and fiddled with the taps. Streams of water ran
down her face, but she was very much relaxing in the warm touch. She
couldn't stop her mind from straying over to Kurama's handsome face.
"He's so gorgeous. I wonder what he thinks of me," thought
Arisa as she felt her face go real hot. Arisa never felt so
attracted to a guy like this before. The phrase 'he's so gorgeous'
kept repeating itself in her mind. His red hair, his emerald eyes...
Arisa gave a blissful sigh.
Quickly, she snapped out of it and finished the shower. She
dried herself and got into a round-necked T-shirt and a pair of pink
shorts. Now, she felt a lot more like herself. Tomboyish and
carefree.
Using the other dry side of the terry clothed towel, she dried
her hair with it and combed all of it to the back. She found a hair
band in the cabinet and tied her hair with it.
*Now, I look very neat, clean and presentable,* admired Arisa
herself in the mirror as she looked at her neat and suitable outfit
for training.
Arisa walked out of the bathroom, totally refreshed. Misuko
was sitting on the sofa, waiting patiently for her. When she saw
Arisa, she got up quickly.
"Let's go over to Botan's place first. I believe she also had
her day off today. Koenma-sama's being very nice and good-tempered
today, since the division office is always very busy and tense,"
invited Misuko. Arisa smiled enthusiastically and they raced each
other to the elevator.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Botan! Botan! Are you in? It's Misuko here!" called out Misuko
from the door. There was a muffled sound and few minutes later, the
door opened a crack. Botan's head of blue hair popped out and came
peeping at the visitors.
"Come in," invited Botan. "This is..."
"Oh, this is Arisa, our new Reikai investigator. She is also
my cousin... I thought you might want to get to know her," introduced
Misuko.
"Hi," greeted Arisa shyly as she looked at the cheerful girl
standing in front of her.
"Let's go in and talk," said Botan as she dragged Misuko and
Arisa by their arm sleeves into the room. Botan hurried around the
small room and got ready some tea.
"Are we disturbing you?" inquired Arisa as she looked at the
messy floor and bed.
"Oh, no. I thought you guys might want some tidbits," scurried
Botan around, grabbing jars of cookies and setting them down on the
table. "Keiko just left for a shower so I'm still cleaning up...
Maybe she will come again later."
"Never mind, we just come over for some girl talk. By the way,
Arisa's studying in Kurama's school, so she seldom gets any chance
to talk to girls," explained Misuko.
Botan put down all the teacups and biscuits in front of them on
the table and poured some tea for the two. Then, she sat down on the
sofa opposite.
"Girl talk. What should we talk about?" Botan scratched her
head slightly. "Okay, speaking of guys, who do you think is the most
handsome in this palace?" asked Botan as she giggled away. Botan
simply couldn't stop giggling every time she thought of something
funny.
Three girls laughed and giggled as they saw each other's face
turning red. Just then, a face framed with brown hair looked at them
as the door opened a crack.
"Eh, Keiko-chan! You simply amaze me at how fast you take a
shower! Um... let me see... five minutes!" exclaimed Botan.
"Yeah, I practically whipped Yusuke to get out of the bathroom
just now..." answered Keiko loftily.
"Huh? Yusuke?" asked Botan curiously. "By the way, how did you
get to Reikai in the first place? You haven't answered me when we
went for lunch just now..." continued Botan as she thought of
Yusuke's promise not to tell a single soul about his job at Reikai.
"Yes, Yusuke. He told me the truth at last. By the way, it's
George who showed me the way. What are you guys laughing just now?
Share with me the joke," pleaded Keiko as she flopped down the sofa
next to Botan.
"This is..." asked Keiko as she looked at the two unfamiliar
faces before her.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce," said Botan looking at Keiko. "This
is Arisa and this is Misuko."
"Our new Reikai investigator? Yusuke told me about both of
you," said Keiko as she smiled at the two girls. Both Misuko and
Arisa smiled back and gave a tiny nod.
"Actually, we were talking about who do you think is the cutest
guy in Reikai just now," interrupted Misuko, impatient to know the
others opinions. "Why not you say first, Keiko?" said Misuko to
Keiko.
"I think it's Yusuke Urameshi," answered Keiko, blushing a
little. "Although he likes to make insults and comments on me and my
body, but he can be so romantic at times. Like... last night."
"Yusuke and romance? Doesn't seem to fit into the same
sentence," retorted Botan.
"Well, you should see the other side of him," said Keiko. The
rest nodded silently and Arisa took a sip of her tea.
"I think it's Hiei," said Botan as she giggled away.
"Hiei... Hiei..." repeated Misuko slowly... A sweat drop formed
on her forehead. Hiei and Botan...
*Oopsie.* Botan sat there, jarred. Oh no... what would Hiei
think? Because of her big mouth, she had practically told three girls
that knew Hiei...
"Why?" ventured Arisa, smiling widely and wickedly.
"Alright, but when I tell you guys this, just make sure that
you don't blurt it out to the entire world."
"Okay, we promise," agreed the others spontaneously, eager to
know the truth. Hiei and Botan... didn't exactly match. One was fiery
tempered and anti-social while the other was friendly and cheerful...
Even their heights and body size didn't make a good match.
"Hiei and I are involved with each other," Botan's face turned
bright red as she confessed the long awaited statement. Keiko poked
her in the ribs and laughed. "Since when? I thought Hiei was the
arrogant and vain type. He also doesn't exactly like seeing girls
giggling the whole day," asked Keiko, half suspicious of Botan's
confession. Hiei... Hiei... The image of a short youkai with spiky
hair and a third eye forming before her eyes...
"Sometimes, you can't see the other side of him," sighed Botan
dreamily and dramatically.
"That's the same case with Yusuke. What the heck about Yusuke
and romance not fitting into the same sentence," said Keiko. "What
about you, Misuko? According to Yusuke, your abduction caused quite a
tremor in Koenma's emotions. Besides, I heard that Koenma really fell
head over heels over you," asked Keiko as she finished her retort
intended for Botan. *Yeah, try saying something dumb about Yusuke...*
"To tell the truth, Koenma-sama *is* cute, save for that
pacifier," said Misuko as she thought of the person that saved her.
He must be signing away office documents in his office now. Ha!
Talking about gallantry... Misuko felt a twinge of guilt as she sat
there, chatting away.
"Yeah, I once had a crush on him, but it soon wore off."
interrupted Botan as she awakened from her daydreaming. Everybody
gasped in mock horror, then smiled evilly.
Misuko then lowered her voice to a softer tone. "He has nice
lips," whispered Misuko towards everybody.
"Really? I would like to try one day," said Arisa teasingly.
"You dare? He is *mine*," threatened Misuko.
"Just joking. Actually, I'm aiming for Kurama," replied Arisa
loftily.
"Kurama? Since when you have a crush on him?" asked Keiko,
curious and interested to know.
"Since at our brief meeting in the cafeteria today." answered
Arisa, once again finding herself imagining Kurama's brilliant
emerald green eyes looking at her.
Everybody laughed and joked until it was about 5.00 in the
evening.
"Alright, I have to go to training now. You guys continue,"
Arisa excused herself as she got up from the couch and opened the
door. All of them waved back at her. The girl talk then continued
without a hitch.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Yusuke-san!" called Arisa as she saw the lithely built guy
walk up the cafeteria's sidewalk.
Yusuke ran to get her. "Let's go to the sports ring for some
warming up," suggested Yusuke. Arisa nodded in agreement.
The sports ring was located in the far south of the Imperial
Reikai Garden. For a start, both of them jogged to the ring and did
some stretching exercises.
There was a shadow under a tree nearby... Looking at them with
piercing green eyes, following each and every single movement in the
constrained space. Unknown to them, Kurama was watching them from
the side. He sat on the bench and watched them warm up beneath a
shady tree. He had sensed something strange about this girl, but he
didn't know what and how. He would find out somehow, some way...
What did he sense? What *had* he sensed?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright reserved 1998 W. Siew Lee
All standard Yu Yu Hakusho disclaimers apply to this fanfic.
E-mail: Siew Lee [wsiewlee@tm.net.my]
URL: http://members.xoom.com/hiei
UIN: #14025577
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URL: http://members.xoom.com/hiei/
UIN Number: #14025577
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