http://clampfix.fanworks.net/guests/kurama05.txt </head><body><pre>To match Sandy's return to fan-fiction, I present to you another chapter of the story which everyone will remember me for, long after you've all killed me and hidden my body deep in the woods where no one will find it for several decades. I now give you... Kurama 1/2 -chapter 5- by Kristin Huntsman Kurama looked around somewhat warily. When he saw no one in sight, he took a calming breath, and ran forward. With a skip, he started a series of forward handsprings. <Five... six... seven... eight!> He used his momentum from the last spring to jump into the air, grasping hold of the rings that hovered in the air with a surety that betrayed many practice sessions like this before. The forward motion set him swinging, and he pulled himself up, pumping his legs back and forth to increase the distance and speed of the swings. He waited until he was at the right position before tumbling off the rings in a series of somersaults. He landed on the trampoline, and carefully controlled his rebound spring, moving forward onto the uneven bars. He spent a matter of minutes doing gymnastic exercises on them, twisting around the two bars in deceptively simple contortions. Finally, the tensions in his body worked out, Kurama did a somersault off the bars and landed in a finishing stance. Feeling great, he walked over to the bench he'd dropped his stuff on and pulled a water bottle out of his bag. He nearly choked on the water, though, as he heard a slow, cynical clapping. He hastily swallowed and turned around. "Don't _do_ that!" he told Hiei. "Do you always work out after school?" Hiei asked, moving towards him. "I have permission to come in and use the gymnastics equipment whenever I want," Kurama replied. "One of the benefits of being the best student in Meiou High." "Not bad," Hiei said, looking at the various pieces of equipment. He sounded unimpressed. "Does it help you any?" "Not really, but it gets the stresses out," Kurama replied, sitting down. "Following me around for any reason?" "None," Hiei replied. "Except perhaps curiosity. How did your school like your fiancee?" he asked maliciously. "Heh." Kurama gave a slight laugh. "I just love having my life screwed up by things I have no control over." "What do you mean?" "Apparently most of the girls in my class had crushes on me, and I think most of the guys in my class now have one on Hairspray." Kurama shook his head. "This is ridiculous." "How so?" Hiei asked. "Unlike you, my classmates can get violent when they're in love," Kurama pointed out. The far door to the gym suddenly slammed opened. "Minamino!" an angry voice yelled out. Kurama and Hiei looked up. "Oh no..." Kurama murmured. And at that precise moment, somewhere else in the school, a juvenile delinquent, much like Yuusuke, except not as promising, chose to pull the fire alarm. The sprinklers turned on immediately. Earlier that day.... "Hurry up, Hairspray, we're going to be late!" Kurama called from the door. He was already waiting to go, his satchel in hand and shoes on his feet. "Coming!" she replied in Chinese, running down the stairs. "I'm sorry I took so long," she panted, sitting down and quickly pulling her shoes on. "I couldn't figure out how to tie the bow." "You did it fine," Kurama replied, handing her her satchel as she stood up. "We'll stop by the office on the way in and finalize your registration. Kaasan called in most of the things they needed to know yesterday, while you were unpacking. Do you have the hard copies of your entrance exams?" "They're in my satchel," Hairspray replied as he closed the door behind them. "You have such a wonderful mother, Shuuichi-san." "I know," Kurama replied, locking the door and slipping the key into his pocket. "She's always been great." <Great enough to teach a youko mind how to be human,> he thought as they quickly walked to school. <And that's no small feat.> The office matron looked at the two students before her as she handed them the final registration forms to sign. Young Minamino was speaking in her native language to the Chinese girl, probably translating what of the forms she didn't understand. She wondered briefly what relationship she was to him; the boy's mother, when she'd called in the information, had said that the girl would be living with them, and she was in most of the same classes with him. The girl - what kind of name was Hairspray? - seemed excited enough, and very affectionate towards Shuuichi, but he seemed to be as genially distant towards her as he was to most of the other students. A friend of the family? the matron wondered, or perhaps an exchange student? She hadn't heard anything about any new exchange students entering the school. The matron frowned slightly, then put on a bright smile as the girl finished signing her name and returned the papers. "Take good care of your friend, Minamino-kun," she said as the two left the office. Shuuichi turned around and smiled at her. "She's not my friend; she's my fiancee," he replied in his soft voice. The matron stood, staring in shock as the two left the office and headed for their class. <I don't believe it... engaged?!> Kurama smiled to himself as he and Hairspray walked up to the second floor of the school. He shouldn't have shocked Takagi-san like that, but the opportunity had been too much to resist. He knew he was regarded around the school as somewhat of a loner, and the reputation was mostly deserved. It was hard to cultivate true friendships with others when they were based on a lie. No matter how hard Kurama had tried, he could never forget that he wasn't human. And sometimes, in the middle of a laugh, it would suddenly strike him, the difference between him and the people around him. That's why it had been such a relief to finally form deep friendships with Hiei and Yuusuke and Kuwabara, people who could accept him for all he was. Kurama looked over at Hairspray and silently wondered if she, too, would be able to accept the truth that he kept hidden from almost everyone in his second life. The Chinese were possessed of some bad superstitions about foxes, which had proved to be unpleasant experiences for the youkos who had encountered them.... Kurama repressed a shiver, remembering the stories he'd heard of exorcisms. He would wait, he decided, to tell Hairspray until he knew her better. "Do you think your classmates will like me?" Hairspray asked suddenly. "I hope they will. I hope I'll like them." "I think they will," Kurama replied. She was bright and friendly, two qualities that his classmates appreciated. "And you should like them. They're nice enough people." "That's good," Hairspray said cheerily. Underneath her cheeriness, though, Hairspray was worried. She didn't want to seem like a poor country girl from China to her new classmates. She didn't want to be an embarrasment to her village - and especially not to her husband. She wasn't worried so much about the schoolwork; she'd been at the top of her class in the Village of the Amazons. She was worried about the strange Japanese customs she'd now have to face. What if she did or said something that unintentionally insulted someone? She didn't want to be thought rude or uneducated. Hairspray sneaked a glance over at her husband. His manners, she suspected, were perfect, in both China and Japan. He was the closest to being perfect that she had ever seen one human being manage... but she sensed a great lonliness about him, too. Something that kept him distant from other people - and distant from her. While they were in the village still, she hadn't seen it; he was free with his fellow students and their families. But as they traveled farther and farther away from it, and closer to Japan, she had noticed the very subtle change that came over him. It was like he was drawing into himself, hiding some of the freedom and replacing it with guards. Like... he didn't trust the people who were around him all the time. <What do you fear?> Hairspray found herself wondering. <Who are you afraid of? And why?> The questions tumbled abruptly out of her head as they stopped before a classroom door. "Are you ready?" Shuuichi asked, turning to her. Hairspray took a deep breath and let it out. "Hai," she replied, nodding solidly. She was ready to face this, she thought to herself, and straightened her spine, all the strength of her Amazon heritage flowing through her 5'6" frame. <I will not fear...> she thought to herself. <For this is my destiny.> Shuuichi studied her for a second, then nodded, opening the door. He motioned for her to precede him, and Hairspray stepped through the door, into the classroom of strange faces. Kanzaki Ryu watched as the teacher paused in his lecture while the door opened. One of the prettiest girls Ryu had ever seen walked through the door, followed by Minamino Shuuichi. <So he's back,> Ryu thought placidly. <That trip of his didn't take long at all, did it? I wonder who the girl is?> As if to answer his question, the teacher accepted a note from Minamino and spoke. "Welcome back from your trip, Minamino-kun. I assume this is the new student?" he asked, glancing up from the paper briefly. "Such a lovely young woman. Miss, you speak our language, I assume?" "Hai," she replied in a sweet soprano voice. <She's Chinese,> Ryu guessed from her accent. <Minamino was going to China. What's the connection?> "Well, then, I hope you'll enjoy learning here at Meiou High," the teacher said. He turned to the class and formally introduced her. "Class, this is our new student, Hairspray. She's from China, from--" He checked the paper again. "--from the Village of the Amazons. I hope you'll all make her feel welcome. She's staying with Minamino-kun, as his fiancee." "NANI?!" Half the class shot to their feet. "I'm pleased to meet you all," Hairspray said, bowing deeply. The class stared, wide-eyed. If their thoughts had been audible, then there would have been dead silence. But even without audible thoughts, you could have heard a pin drop in the clasroom. "Miss Hairspray, will you please take your seat, next to Minamino-kun?" the teacher asked, oblivious to the stunned faces of most of his students. "Hai, sensei!" she said eagerly, and followed Minamino to the seats the teacher had indicated. <I don't believe it,> Ryu thought dazedly, sitting back down. <Minamino is _engaged_?! To this beauty? How did he manage that?! I'm sure he's nice enough, and polite, but he's so... distant! How can any girl like that? Even a Chinese one!> Kurama shook his head. He'd been watching his classmates all day, and it wasn't good news. They were beginning to get over their shock, and anger and jealousy were starting to burn through. "Is something wrong?" Hairspray asked from his side. "No, nothing!" Kurama hastily reassured her. He handed her lunch to her and opened his own. "Just thinking, that's all." "Oh, okay," Hairspray said, then turned her attention to the obento. <Passed that okay...> Kurama thought to himself. He dug his chopsticks into the rice and placed it in his mouth, frowning slightly again. He didn't want trouble. "Hairspray!" Kurama looked up. One of the tougher girls in the school, a grade above him, was glaring at his fiancee. <Why?> he wondered. <Mako-san hasn't even met Hairspray....> "Are you Hairspray?" Kobuki Mako demanded. "Are you the one that stole Minamino from my sister?!" Kurama belatedly remembered that Mako was the older sister of one of his classmates. One who had a strong crush on him. "Mako-sa--" he started, but Hairspray stood and interrupted. "I stole Shuuichi-san from no one!" she retorted angrily. "He beat me fairly at challenge, and I am his wife because of it!" "You trapped him, you mean!" one of the girls backing Mako retorted. "He would never willingly marry some ignorant Chinese tart! He belongs to us!" "You wish to fight?" Hairspray demanded. "Fine. How many at once?" "Just me," Mako replied calmly, stepping forward. "And if you think that you can beat me, you're severely mistaken. I'm the best student in the kenpo club, and I always win when I represent the school. Would you prefer to suffer humiliation, or just give up now?" Hairspray's eyes narowed in anger. So this girl, this "Mako," thought that she could beat a descendant of Amazon blood and training? She would soon learn differently, Hairspray thought. "I accept your challenge," she replied. "But be warned - should you defeat me, I am sworn to kill you. Should I win, then you will leave Shuuichi-san to be my husband. All of you," she added, looking around at the circle of girls surrounding her. "Hairspray--" Shuuichi started, standing up and laying a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him. "Do not think me incapable of fighting, just because I prefer to challenge with the mind," she told him. "I can win this fight. I will have no misunderstanding of whose fiance you are!" Shuuichi shook his head. "That I do not doubt," he said softly, switching to Chinese. "But if you should lose-- IF," he stressed, seeing the mutinous look in her eyes, "then promise me you won't seek revenge on Mako. She's only acting in her sister's interests. And I am well aware that you have the first claim on me. But I have my own mind, and I can speak and fight for myself." Hairspray flushed. "But this is a woman's battle," she softly protested. "It is not truly over you that I battle - I have seen you fight, amd I know that you can fight for yourself. I fight for my acceptance here in Japan, both as your fiancee, and as myself. I fight so that I may be left in peace. Is that not the only reason to enter a battle?" Kurama paused. Hairspray had a quick mind, and she had presented her fight in a way that she knew would be acceptable to him. He still didn't believe her motives were entirely as noble as she claimed, but she had given him no true reason to argue it further. And if she thought she could beat Mako.... "Then fight your best," he said, before he could change his mind and try to talk her out of it. Hairspray nodded, and turned to face Mako. She took several steps forward, until she was in the center of the ring that had been loosely formed by the watching students. "I challenge you to battle," she called to the older girl. "I am Hairspray, daughter of Lotion, daughter of Handcream, of the Village of the Amazons. I fight you here and now to finalize my claims upon my husband. Should I win, he is mine. Should I lose, he is free to choose." Mako nodded and stepped forward, naming her own ties. "I am Kobuki Mako, sister of Ruma. I am the best fighter of the women's kenpo club at Meiou High, and I fight so that Minamino Shuuichi may be free to choose his own fiancee. Should I win, you will relinquish all claims to him. Should I lose, he is yours until the next challenge comes. Do not make the mistake of believing I am the only one who will challenge this engagement." Kurama watched, hoping that Hairspray was right about her abilities - and that she wouldn't kill Mako. The crowd surrounding the invisible fighting ring quickly grew. Mako's reputation at Meiou High was well-known, but the Chinese girl was an unknown factor. Who knew what strange abilities she might have learned in her homeland? The audience waited breathlessly as the two surveyed each other. For a long minute, no one moved. <Ruma... you'd better appreciate what I'm doing for you,> Mako thought. <I hate to fight a new student, especially over a boy.> Mako shot a quick glance at Minamino. He was watching the growing tension intently, and nothing in his eyes revealed favor towards either opponent. <Though I have to admit, Minamino-kun's quite a piece. But I doubt anyone can ever crack that shell of his.> Then, suddenly, Mako's ki fell into place and she was ready to fight. She ran forward, her fist moving, to punch the other girl in the stomach. Only she wasn't there anymore. <Nani?!> Mako thought as she turned, searching for Hairspray. She spotted the girl behind her, and cursed. Hairspray only smiled, and made her own move. Mako became hard-pressed to avoid the blows and kicks aimed at her, and stumbled backwards hastily, searching for an opening to turn this fight to her own advantage. She saw it and grabbed Hairspray's ankle mid-kick, stalling her in the middle of a motion and throwing her off-balance. Hairspray used her momentum and the firmness of Mako's grip to spin the rest of her body, with her captured foot as a base, and plant her other foot securely in Mako's face. She followed that up with taking Mako to the ground and quickly pressing several spots on her body that immobilized the girl. The entire fight had taken less than a minute. The audience was silent, stunned. <I-- I lost?!> Mako demanded. <How could I lose? I can't lose! What the hell happened?!> Hairspray looked around at the audience. Few met her eyes, and those that did quickly looked away, except for the few whose gaze made her feel uneasy. Boys, all of them, looking at her like they were starving and she was a nine-course meal. She avoided their eyes, and sought her husband. Shuuichi stepped forward, away from the wall of silent stares. "You won," he said easily. "You fight very cleanly." "I always win," Hairspray replied. "If that were true, you wouldn't be engaged to me," he responded, kneeling down next to her opponent. He frowned, studying the still body. "You use pressure points?" he asked. "Paralysis is very effective." His fingers flew lightly over Mako's body, and before Hairspray could warn him to be careful, the girl was sitting up under her own power. <Incredible...> Hairspray thought in Chinese. <It took me most of my life to learn the pressure points and their use, yet he manipulates them so easily!> Mako stood and faced Hairspray. She considered for a few seconds, then spoke. "I have never before been defeated," she said quietly. "I am honored to have been beaten by so noble an opponent. I shall never fight you again over Minamino-kun." Hairspray took a step forward and took Mako's hands in her own, startling the elder girl. "I would not have us leave this fight enemies, Mako-san. I won only because I have trained all my life for this type of combat. Please, can we be friends?" Mako was silent for a moment, then broke into a wide smile. "I think I like you, Hairspray-san," she replied. "Who knows, we may make friends yet!" Hairspray smiled back. What better way, she had been trained, to avoid combat, than to make a friend of your enemy? Returning to the gym, later that day.... <Chi!> Hiei thought. He'd been fortunate, when the sprinklers started, to be in one of the few square feet in the building that hadn't been showered upon. Otherwise, he would be a cat right now. Kurama, though, hadn't been so lucky. Hiei glanced over at his friend, and saw her adjusting her clothes so that they didn't reveal so much of her body. What was a few buttons undone on a shirt showed a lot more chest on Kurama's female body than it did on his male one. Hiei ignored the faint stirrings of an unfamiliar heat as he looked at Kurama's female form. "Minamino!" the voice yelled again. Hiei looked up and saw several boys wearing Kurama's school uniform approaching him and Kurama. They arrived and looked briefly at Hiei, then at Kurama. "Wait a minute - you're not Minamino," the leader said in surprise. "Where'd he go?" "Ummm... he had to leave," Kurama hedged. "You just missed him. I can give him a message, if you like." "And who are you?" one of the others asked. His eyes seemed to be glued to Kurama's upper torso, where the wet shirt was approaching the effectiveness of glass in concealing Kurama's chest. Hiei was tempted to take out his sword and slice the bastard for that particular liberty, but restrained himself. "I'm, ahh, his cousin," Kurama came up with. "Minamino... Kurama." "Kurama?" the leader asked in surprise. "Where have I heard that name before?" "Maybe he's mentioned me," Kurama said, and Hiei could see she was grasping at straws. "I'm visiting him." "She certainly looks like him," a third member of the party agreed. "Who're you, shrimp?" he asked, turning to Hiei. That particular insult was not the best one to use on Hiei. "I'm--" he started, taking a step forward and beginning to draw his sword. "Hiei!" Kurama said, grabbing his arm. "This is my-- boyfriend, Hino Hiei!" That concept shocked Hiei out of his anger. <Boyfriend?!> "Boyfriend?" The leader echoed Hiei's thoughts. Thinking fast, Hiei seized advantage of the situation. "Yeah, boyfriend," he retorted. "Want to make something of it?" "Maybe," the guy replied. "Will you deliver a message to Minamino for us, then?" he asked Kurama. "Sure." "Tell him that some of us aren't too happy that he trapped a girl like Hairspray into marriage," the guy replied. "And to watch his back." "I'll deliver it," Kurama replied, nodding. "Well, then, we have no further business to interrupt your training session, Minamino-san," the guy replied, bowing. He took Kurama's hand and kissed its back. "I look forward to seeing more of you... Kurama-san," he murmured in a low voice. Kurama stared as the small group left the gymnasium. Only when the door had closed behind them did she let out a relieved sigh. "I don't believe the nerve of that slimeball!" she said indignantly, wiping the back of her hand on her shirt. "Hitting on me like that when my supposed boyfriend was right here!" "Who the hell was that?" Hiei asked, ignoring the "boyfriend" part of the comment. Better not to think it meant anything, especially when Kurama had already said she... he... wasn't interested. "A few of my classmates," Kurama replied. "The slimeball is Kanzaki Ryu. He's the unofficial leader of the class. The guys, anyway." "Including you?" Hiei asked. Kurama gave him a look. "I don't follow a leader, remember?" she asked. "Only my friends." Friends. Hiei had never thought that that word could hurt so much. But it was all he and Kurama could ever be.... ********* Okay, an author's note here, because John pointed something out to me which I hadn't considered. "Mako" and "Hino" are _not_ intended to be direct references to Sailor Moon. I picked Mako because I love sharks and was thinking of the mako shark. "Hino" is meant to have the same kanji as in Sailor Moon, though - fire, followed by the kanji that indicates it's a surname. I originally had it be "Kino" - again, the same kanji as in BSSM, only this time tree, but spoken, "of fire" fits Hiei better than "of the trees," so I changed it. So count it as a reference if you want to. This is just an explanation. And don't worry, I am no way in HELL going to write a Sailor Moon/YYH crossover. Though Botan would fit right in... and the idea of Hiei meeting Usagi... and Kurama meeting Haruka and finding out that they sound exactly alike.... NO. I can't write Sailor Moon stories. I have a limit to the silliness which I'll stoop to, and I am not _that_ evil! Having said this, of course, I will be forced to write it. ^_^ Joudan! (I hope...) </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>