IN A HURRY?

TALL_DARK_AND_DIRTY

All I knew was the fighter's ring. The noon's sun shone brightly on the blood marring the otherwise pristine concrete. Standing maliciously over his opponent, the demon licked his claws, carefully ridding them of the red liquid. A strangled scream echoed through the stadium as the occupants screamed for more blood; an orange-haired vixen, dressed in less than decent clothing, counted to ten and the standing fighter was declared the winner of the match. On this day, the opening of the Dark Tournament, the air was filled with such energy that hadn't been known for fifty years.

This scene was familiar to me. I mean I was an anime otaku, after all. Yu Yu Hakusho, Poltergeist Files in the figurative English translation, was one of my favorite animes besides Inuyasha. And I used to watch in daily on Cartoon Network, when opportunity allowed, before our family rid itself of cable. Which was why I had gotten a job that gave me twenty dollars a week, enough for me to buy the DVDs from the local video store.

The Dark Tournament. Organized by big-shot human crime lords and consisting of cutthroat demons who lived for death. First prize was having one wish, any wish at all, granted. Most demons competed in it for the notoriety they gained, plus if they could win the grand prize then they could get a lot of power and could boss around all of the smaller and weaker demons.

Because of my upbringing, I was disgusted by these demons who prized power above all else, even though some humans are just as bad. Sneering at the lower-class Youkai that made up the cheering crowd, I then adjusted my position to find something else to look at, but accidentally flipped feat over head before I adjusted. Floating like a cloud is really weird. Only instinct told me what to do to move around without hitting the ground, but at times I would over compensate resulting with my body in strange positions.

I was so glad that no one could see me.

"Next fighters, please come forward!" The blood-lusting female known as Koto yelled. With a grin, a fat green-skinned demon with one horn came forward. Jumping into the ring, he landed so hard that the ground cracked beneath his feet.

"For Team Makasu, we have Maboroshi, with his amazing illusions that have tortured his victims to such a degree that they're left screaming in fright! Then he pulls their hearts out with his own hands! One of my favorite contenders, I assure you."

The audience screamed their exhilaration as they sang their praises for this humble demon who was lapping up their praises like a dehydrated dog drank water. Grinning foolishly, he was shouting death threats to his next opponents and flashing victory signs to his fans. I sneered in his direction. He was a bit too much of a glory hound for my liking.

I then observed something out of the corner of my eye. An older, human-looking demon was smacking around a younger demon who was roughly half his size that looked oddly like his abuser. Must be related, I thought absentmindedly. Clenching my teeth, I tried to force myself to ignore this, but my eyes kept straying back to the scene, the voice in my mind that saying that no one should pick on someone weaker than them. The younger demon was clearly outmatched by the older one, so he couldn't defend himself from the strikes. My fist clenched, but I forced my eyes elsewhere, ignoring it. I could do nothing, nor would my interference be appreciated, so even though this violated my sense of what was right, I pushed the feeling down inside myself.

It came as a surprise to me when the boy Youkai was lifted up by the angry older demon, and then thrown into the ring, coming to rest at Koto's feet. "And for Team Funsai Suru, we have Hasukashii!" A young mystic, he looked to be shy as his name indicated. A favorite of the fans, he was not; disapproval and anger was the only thing to meet this demon's arrival. Koto, who I knew loved a good battle more than anything else and all the blood and broken bones that accompanied it, did something to make me see her in a different light. She squatted down on her heels and asked if the kid was okay.

As I watched, he got up from his position on the group and with head held high, took his place at the opposite end of the ring. As Koto raised one arm to start the fight, my eyes were drawn to necklace hanging around Hasukashii's neck. It started to glow, and I felt drawn to it. Images passed through my minds eyes; two people laughing...crying...dieing... I could feel hate, fear, anxiousness, and dread overwhelming me, though I knew not where they came from. Then suddenly, I felt a prickling at the back of my neck. Turning around I saw the stars of the entire anime, Yusuke Urameshi, Hiei, Kazuma Kuwabara, and Kurama aka Shuiichi Minamino, were all staring at me. But there was only one pair of eyes that drew me in. And while a bright light enveloped me, I found myself drowning in a world of green.

I woke slowly, feelings in my limbs registering one by one. First my feet, then legs, and finally awareness came to my brain. I didn't open my eyes, though; I knew I wasn't where I was suppose to be. Groggily, I opened my eyes, bright light coming from the windows causing me to flinch and hold a hand up to shield them while they adjusted. Yawning deeply, though I knew that I had been asleep for quite some time, I still felt so tired and drained of all my energy. All of my muscles quivered from exhaustion, as if I had been using them for weeks on end. A soft murmur and a warm body pressed against my side caused me to turn my head. Though her head was covered by a pillow and her clothed body tangled in sheets --sheets which had mostly likely been draped on me as well, the blanket hog!-- I knew it was my cousin, Dani.

The bed was soft, softer than the mattress in my bedroom, or the mattress in my cousin's room. The blankets were cotton, but they were the softest cotton I had ever felt before. I was so sleepy and tired, I wanted to fall back asleep. I kept myself awake, though I didn't know why. I tried to sit up, but my muscles wouldn't cooperate, so I rolled out of the bed. This, I found out, had been a poor idea, because having been weaker than I originally thought I was left sprawled on the plush carpet, having hit the floor with a thump.

Voices in the next room made me pause for a moment, but as I wasn't alert and my memory fuzzy it didn't cause me as much alarm as it later did. Using my arms, which for the moment were stronger than my legs, I maneuvered myself to rest my weight on my left hip. I was now breathing hard, and fatigue was getting to me. I couldn't breath deeply and I was getting spots in front of my eyes, but I continued to try to stand, rotating myself upon knees. Putting one foot on the floor I pushed myself halfway then almost fell and I stayed there for a moment, my head pounding from the exertion. I hadn't noticed it before, had no idea even how I could have ignored it, but I had quite the headache. God, I need some Advil! I thought, as I miserably stroked my temple which did nothing to ease my pain.

"Excuse me? Hey, girl!" I jumped, landing on my rear, my back hitting the bed. God, was I so out of it, that I didn't even hear the door open and them come into the room?

"I told you that you shouldn't have snuck up on her like that! Look what you did!" A girl's voice scolded. Her shrieking pierced through my skull and made my head pound even more. I rolled into a ball, trying to hide from the sound that made my migraine worse.

"What I did!" A boy's voice answered. I had enough energy to guess that they were about the same age. They sure sounded like it. Maybe they were a couple, I thought. They sure argued like they were. When their voices reached a particularly high pitch, so much that they started to crack, I knew that they wouldn't be able to continue this argument much longer.

"Shut up!" I screeched, my voice cracking. They shut up immediately, though I was quite surprised that they did. That alone gave me a bit of relief, though it didn't help my headache at all. I clamped my hands over my ears and tightened my body into a tighter ball. Abstractly, I wondered why Dani hadn't woken up from all their screeching. It must be because of her father. He's always screaming, after all.

I heard a door open in the next room, though how I could was beyond me, when I hadn't even heard the door to this room open. Footsteps paused and then a door swung open. I don't know what happened next. Maybe I blacked out or something. All I do know was that I had felt in that moment such excruciating pain that I couldn't breath or think. Every part of my body seemed electrified and nerve stimulated to the breaking point.

When I woke, I was once again laying on the bed, but this time I wasn't in as much pain, nor was I as tired as I had been before. Yawning, I stretched a bit, and groaned when I found that all my muscles were sore. A slight headache announced it's presence, which made me think of when I had woken up before. Who were those people? They looked familiar, but... Rolling over, I buried my face in the pillow. I felt tired and lazy. I didn't want to think. What I really wanted to do was go back to sleep, though I knew from experience that if I went back to sleep I would get up afterwards and stay up all night. It happened all the time at home.

Home.

That thought made me bolt straight up into the air. I wasn't at home. I had been too shocked, too tired, and too in pain to realize that earlier. Cursing myself, I scanned the bedroom I was in. I should have been at home, but not one thing here was familiar to me. The place beside me was empty, so either Dani had been moved by those people or she had gotten up on her own. Another question. What was Dani doing here? I hadn't spent the night at her house in a long time. In fact, I hadn't seen her in a long time, ever since she got that part-time job. I slowly crawled to the edge of the bed, sat down, and then tried to stand. This time my muscles didn't cave under me, nor did my head start to pound again, though after walking around a little my muscles started to quiver slightly.

I went over to the window which had very plain curtains on them, though I thought that the material was nice. I opened the window and sunlight met me with a sudden glare. I raised my hand to cover my eyes. Analyzing its position I knew that it was around noon. I breathed in fresh air carried on a pleasant breeze that strangely held a tang of salt. Were we somewhere near the ocean? Looking around I spotted the ocean in the distance and seagulls called to each other loudly. Raising an eyebrow, knowing that I lived far from the ocean; it must mean that these people had taken us a long way.

And that was what they had done. We had been kidnapped. What else could it be? They obviously had knocked us out and brought us here away from our parents. But, as I looked around the room carefully, I realized that there were too many inconsistencies with that theory. They were treating us too nicely for us to have been kidnapped, weren't they? This was a really nice room. Too nice, in fact. And as I poked my head outside of the window and looked around I found that it was in a hotel, too. Right below me (we were in the fifth or sixth floor) was a pool full of people lounging about in swim suits.

Of course, they may have just settled down in a hotel room to wait out our ransom, but...ransom? Our (Dani's and my) families didn't have that much money. How much did these people expect to get from a person living on welfare, someone who works at Red Cross, Blue Shield, and a barber? Ransom was probably out then.

But then what? Dani and I were both girls, so maybe they were looking for sexual favors? I remembered that black-haired boy. Though his manner was gruff, he didn't seem the type to go for casual sex. And what about that brown-haired boy? I had caught a glimpse of his expression just before I blacked out. I felt that he had been worried about us, Dani and I that is. But what was a full analysis of character compared to a single expression, especially since facial expressions weren't exactly reliable. For all I know, he could have been just constipated.

But then why where we here? How did we get here? Fair means or foul, was the question. If only I knew the answer.

Maybe they hadn't kidnapped us and this was just some jumping of my imagination, but then my mind scorned me "How are you suppose to know? You haven't even really met these people yet?" Decision made. Turning away from the window after locking it and closing the curtains, I stood and walked to the door. Grasping the handle, I couldn't help the butterflies in my stomach. You have to face them sometime, I reminded myself.

And with that I opened the door, but as I poked my head through it, I found nobody there. Dani and the strangers who I had seen before were no where to be seen, I discovered as I opened the various other doors. Deciding that they must have gone out, I returned to the bedroom I had awakened in and sat down on the bed with a sigh of relief. I was extremely glad that there were not going to be any confrontations right now, my nerves couldn't take it. Well, now that that was over, the rush of nervous energy had fled out of my body, but I could still feel butterflies at the bottom of her stomach. Annoying they were, but they were faint enough so that I could ignore them. Yawning a little, I decided that a nap wouldn't be so bad. Wrapping myself in blankets and then laying down, I realized something.

I wouldn't have been able to stay up all day anyway.

The sun was going down. It was a beautiful sunset filled with purple, pink, orange, and a little hint of red. Dani sighed nostalgically remembering that when she was little and her family had lived on the coast of Maryland there had been sunsets like these. Choking back tears, trying to forget the home that she had loved, she slumped onto the deep blue carpet beside the window. It was far too silent in this room. Trying to distract herself, she remembered the people who had been here before. They had been nice, but strange, just the way she liked people. She especially liked the brown-haired boy, perverted jokes and all. It was too bad that he had a girlfriend. He would have been fun to tease.

Dani also wished that she had gone with them, but she had wanted to be here in case her cousin woke. She didn't want Julie to be frightened and then wander off alone. This place was not exactly the safest place to be by yourself, they had told her. She was skeptical about this, but she would play along for awhile. They had been nothing but nice to her, but it was good to be cautious. Anyway, she thought, trying to placate herself, they'll probably be back soon, anyways. After all, they had left over a half hour ago to get dinner. It shouldn't take that much longer for the restaurant to prepare their food, but maybe they had stopped for soda on the way back. That made Dani wonder, was there even a grocery store on this island?

Where were they? The first question that had come to mind when she awoke. It had been easy enough to get an answer to. The place they were at was Hanging Neck Island. A small piece of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. God! How had they gotten here? A question that they didn't answer, although the group did mention that they had nothing to do with it. Well, a lot of good that question did. And they weren't telling her anything else. Said that they would wait until her cousin woke up. Dani snorted, disbelievingly.

Standing up, she paced around the room. Holding two deep blue couches with cushions that were both soft and firm, a wonder to sit down on, and a mahogany tea table at knee level, the room was large, larger even than Dani's bedroom at home. The bay window she had been staring through had three panes of glass, two feet wide a piece. There was a little seat imbedded in the wall that spanned the entirety of the window, large enough for a person to lay down along with deep blue cushions. But the blue of the room didn't calm her, nor did the impressive view of the ocean or sunset. She didn't care to rest, for the one piece of information that they had allotted her that had surprised her the most was that she had been asleep for three days.

Three friggin' days!

Dani had never slept that long in her life. She definitely had energy to burn. But being forced into a weird situation had made her all the more anxious. She had questions. Dani most definitely wanted answers.

Now.

Almost brimming with anxiousness, to get out of here, to do something, to get home, she almost passed the only other door in the room again --the one that lead into the room which Julie was sleeping in-- before making a decision. She opened the door, ready to pick her cousin up and throw her out of the damn bed, if necessary. With a twisted smile, Dani was also prepared to roll her in the bathtub and hose her down with cold water. Ice water.

But when Dani looked at the sheets, she found them empty. Julie was also not, as Dani suspected after finding the bed empty, sleeping upon the floor, an occurrence which happened often. Looking around the room she found the girl in question sitting in a corner of the room, her forehead pressed against her knees, apparently deep in thought or maybe even asleep. Dani took a moment to observe her cousin, for she had been asleep even longer than Dani. Julie's shoulder length brown hair was loose and messy, her clothes even more so.

Walking to her side, then crouching down, she called, "Julie?"

Julie looked up, blinking brown, tired eyes several times, before finally settling on Dani's face. Smiling, she answered, "What's up?"

Dani cocked her head to the side, observing Julie's lax face that was paler than normal. A face that was almost scary in how similar it was to Dani's own. Even though they were cousins, they looked enough alike to be twin sisters. Aware that she had already taken an abnormally long time to answer, she finally responded with a simple, "Nuthin'." She then paused before also saying, "Everyone else just left to get dinner. Otherwise, we're all by our lonesome."

"Everyone?" Julie asked, warily.

"Yup. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Kurama, Koenma, Botan, Shizuru, Keiko, and Yukina." Dani answered promptly, slightly proud at the fact that she had remembered the names to rattle them off like that. Dani was surprised to see Julie's face contorting so that she looked like she had been slammed headfirst into a brick wall.

"What?!" Julie screeched.

Dani raised both eyebrows. She hadn't been expecting this kind of reaction. "What is it? Do you know something?" Dani asked.

Julie grew pensive for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's nothing."

This was not the answer Dani wanted to hear. Julie looked like she knew those names, like she was familiar with them. Dani wanted to know why. "Come on, what?" Dani wheedled. She had been indoors all day and had a lot of energy. A bad combination, indeed.

"Let's just say that I think its best that you don't know right now. You might think that I'm crazy, but if it's important, I promise that I'll tell you later. After all, it could be just a coincidence." Julie said, staring off into space.

Dani pouted and sighed, she wanted to wheedle more to her cousin, so that she would tell her why she was acting so strange about those names, but she decided to let it be. "Oh, by the way, they said that a person named Koenma would be around here today or tomorrow to explain the situation to us or something." She then helped Julie find her glasses (which were on the lamp table next to the bed), and also found two bags filled with their belongings, including Dani's cell phone, which was definitely still working, as evidenced by her calling up the hotel they were in (she found a room service card in the drawer of the lamp table) as a prank. They were giggling for a good half an hour after they had asked the surprised male manager if he wore boxers or briefs.

This is nuts, Julie thought as she pretended to be totally involved in the book she had open. Laying on my stomach, my feet in the air, sprawled up one of the couches in the sitting room, I was waiting for Dani to come out of the shower. She had been in there twenty minutes already, so I knew that she should be done soon. The book I had been trying to read was about a girl named Elspeth, but I just couldn't get interested. The fact was that I couldn't be distracted by such a luxury when had so many problems that I needed to work out in my mind. Pieces of a puzzle were forming in my mind; how did they fit together, was the question.

Yusuke. Kuwabara. Hiei. Kurama. Koenma. Botan. Shizuru. Keiko. Yukina.

Yu Yu Hakusho, the name of the anime they starred in. But it wasn't real! It wasn't! I protested in my head. I took one hand off of my book and pinched the inside of my arm. I knew I was awake, but I had to be certain. Yep, I winced, as a spot of red slowing faded to pink on the skin of my left arm.

Definitely not dreaming.

But then how had we gotten here? As evidenced by the scenery, Dani and I were currently on Hanging Neck Island where Team Urameshi was fighting in the Dark Tournament. Who was the last Youkai team that they fought against? I wondered. If I could find that out, I might be able to see if what I watched on TV and what was going on around me were one and the same. Maybe, since Dani had neither spoken about the masked fighter or Genkai then that would mean that the tournament had already ended. Or she could have just died, or maybe... The thing was that every situation might or might not change because of Dani's and mine presences. Would everything change now that we're here? I would just have to keep watch. Other than that, we would definitely need to find a way home.

Though if I actually wanted to go home, I had no idea.

This is like a whole other anime or two animes colliding, I mused. Or even a fanfiction, maybe. Putting down my book, I stared into space thinking of what might happen in the future. After the Dark Tournament was over, then comes Sensui, and after that is the Makai Tournament. The thought of other animes and two animes colliding made me remember my dream. A shy mystic with an amulet. This was turning out to be just like a fanfic. He had something to do with this, I knew it. But what? Or maybe this is just an illusion, I thought, remembering the illusionist demon that also featured in it. But why would he weave an illusion around us of an anime? To lure us into a false sense of security? Probably not. I could be missing something, but what was it?

As my thoughts turned I became aware of several feet moving down the hall to where this room was located. Knowing that it might be a false alarm, I turned back to my book, intent on finishing it this evening. A fantasy novel by Mercedes Lackey, who I believe is the goddess of all things science fiction mixed with politics, it was one that I had been waiting to read for weeks but I had to wait because the library was too far to walk and I didn't have enough money to buy it at the book store. Saving up every bit of spare change I had, I bought it in precisely three weeks. It was well worth it though, I thought.

Just as I was turning the page, the door opened, but I ignored this in favor of trying to devour the book as fast as I could. As my eyes moved onto the next page, I spied the group looking at me with a strange looks on their faces. Wondering a little at this, knowing that it couldn't possibly be because of my appearance. Dani woke up this morning, so it would be logical to assume that I would wake soon, too. Hoping to shake them out of their shock, I spoke though never taking my eyes off the page, "If you want to know where Dani is, she's in the bathroom. She'll be out in a moment."

This did indeed force them out of their stupor, but I was extremely surprised when in the next second both my hands were held within Kuwabara's, and he had the sappiest expression on his face. "Pretty lady, would you be my girlfriend?" Biting my tongue, lest I should say something nasty, the problem was taken care of when Yusuke hit 'Casanova' over the head reprimanding him on doing this when Yukina was watching. I went back to reading my book, ignoring the sounds of Kuwabara's declarations of love (and lust) to his 'Beloved Yukina'. Then Botan came up to me, like a welcome party. "Hello, you must be Julie. It's so very nice to meet you!"

Making sure to hide my annoyance at being interrupted again, I looked up briefly and said, "It's nice to meet you, too." Then I went back to reading. Hearing her huff caused me to smile. I always liked to annoy people. People always did funny things if they were annoyed. But remembering demons I flicked my eyes over to Hiei for a second before going back to my page. That was one demon who might not be so fun to tease.

While I was waiting for Dani, the social one, I became uncomfortably aware of the silence in the room, though I didn't show it. Shifting positions, I tucked my feet beneath me and then leaned on the arm of the sofa. I knew that many in the room were not aware of the subterfuge for what it really was. My body, tilted as it was, allowed me to peer over the top of my book so that I could see the happenings in the room while making it look like I was still reading my book

Hiei and Kurama had chosen to stand at the end of the room near the door, both watching me with a peculiarly watchful expression. Yusuke had taken a seat on the floor, glaring at Kuwabara (and me? Why would he glare at me?) while the girls and Kuwabara had nervously chosen to join me on the couch. The 'masked fighter' was no where to be seen.

Returning my eyes to the book, I was aware that no one was speaking, and I was probably the reason that was. I wouldn't speak first. Taking the first step in talking to someone(s) had never been my specialty. I was really uncomfortable with large groups of people.

Large group meaning any number of people greater than one.

Koenma was obviously wasn't going to show up anytime soon, nor was Dani going to make an appearance, so I made a decision. Marking the page in my book, I stood up and crossed the room, extremely nervous because of the fact that all eyes were on me. I went back into the room I had awoken in, extremely glad to be out of there. Sighing in relief, a thought struck me, causing me to bolt straight up in the air.

Were they scared of me?!

Sighing in relief, Dani melted in bliss from the waves of heat the water was pouring into her. She scrubbed every inch until she was sore and pink, but she believed it was well worth it. Four days without a shower was much too long. Three days asleep plus having forgotten the day before her impromptu nap equaled into one itchy Dani. She stayed in the shower long after it had gone cold, just blissful to feel the water against her skin.

After shaving her legs (another thing she found in the bag of her stuff), she got dressed in her green Lucky Charms shirt and black Capris. Deciding to forgo shoes, she dried her hair as much as she could, brushed it, then left it loose to dry. Opening the door, steam billowing out in her wake, her stomach started to annoyingly grumble. She hoped that the others were back with the food.

Coming out of the bathroom, she found Julie laying on the bed reading with her headphones on. Julie looked up at Dani with an unreadable expression on her face and told her, "The others got back ten minutes ago. I believe they have Chinese food, but you can go check for yourself."

"Aren't cha coming with?" She asked.

Julie returned to her book responding. "Nah. No thanks. Not hungry."

"Not hungry! You've gone almost three days without food! There's obviously something wrong wit' you, girl!"

Julie shook her head, that damned expression still on her face. "No, it's all right. I'll eat later, I promise."

"Well, you should hurry or there might be nothing left." Feeling off after that interaction, though nothing could be done. Julie could really be stubborn at times, and Dani knew that nothing could change her mind at this moment. Deciding not to think about it anymore, she basked instead in the aromas coming from the 'living room'. Following the scents, making sure to shut the door behind her, she found them all in a deep discussion.

"What's up!" she called and was met with greetings. Smiling in thanks at the take-out on the table, she sat down on the space the girls made her by booting Kuwabara off the couch. Digging in, only pausing to sip on the coke they had brought her, she finished the entire box in record time (Yusuke did the timing, but used Kurama's watch). Sighing in relief, she sat back, only to slap Yusuke and Kuwabara's hands as they reached for the second box.

"Don't you dare! That's for Julie!"

"Ahhh!!!!" They both whined.

Kurama then took this time to speak, hoping that Dani would be in a mood more receptive to his questions now that she was full. "Dani? Have you noticed anything odd about your cousin?"

Dani looked up at him. She still couldn't believe how pretty he was for a boy. While she had met--and dated--many boys that could be described as 'pretty', he was the first that she would actually say that with conviction. "Nah. Not really," she told him, unconcerned, though wondering why he was asking such a question.

"Are you sure?" Kurama pressed.

Dani nodded, "Quite sure."

"Are you really, really sure?" Yusuke interjected. "Cause we think she's--" Kurama stepped on his foot. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Yusuke. Is your foot alright?" Glaring at Kurama, though he knew from the look on Kurama's face that that question would be going too far. That didn't stop him from wanting to know.

Raising her eyebrows, Dani asked, "Why do you want to know?"

"Well, Dani," Botan said, "it's just that she was a little...well, cold to us, when we came in." And those energy waves she was emitting! Botan thought. They positively sent shivers up my spine!

"If that's all your worried about!" Dani waved a hand silently saying 'that's nothing'. "Don't worry about it. Julie's just really shy. Doesn't open up to new people really quick. Totally anti-social. She'll warm up once she gets to know you."

The group exchanged glances over Dani's head. Did they really want to get to know her? The thought passed through all of them. Then Botan started asking about Dani's previous boyfriends, so the girls got into a discussion of romances with Keiko throwing Yusuke glances and Dani ribbing all of them. She even did Hiei, but he just 'hn-ed' causing Dani to pout and tease him all the more. Hiei threw an annoyed glance over at Kurama, who just chuckled and ignored him.

The night went on, yet Julie never strayed from the bedroom. While they were talking and laughing, and Dani bouncing around all over the place causing smiles and laughter to float around the crowded hotel room, she would occasionally think of her cousin in the bedroom reading those books of hers. But the thought was dismissed as soon as it had appeared. If Julie chose to do something, Dani had no say in it. Besides, she knew how shy her cousin was. It would take her a few days for her to get used to these people enough to open up and talk to them.

It was the least she could do.

Julie yawned even as she scooped cold lo mein and beef stir-fry into her mouth to settle her grumbling stomach. Burping slightly, wishing that she had some water or something to wash down the aftertaste. She loved Chinese food, but the people who made this obviously didn't know how to cook. Grimacing slightly, she threw the rest in the trash can when she couldn't stand it anymore, condemning herself to starvation.

Moving over to the window seat, she yawned again. Even though she had went to bed early and had all of her eight hours of sleep, she was still tired. Sighing, Julie knew that it was probably because Dani had albeit kicked her out of bed last night. Julie had went to sleep at seven o'clock, having read her book at least seven times over, and with nothing else to occupy her with (she had checked her bag; all there was was clothes and other necessities). She had woken at three am after falling straight onto the floor. Shivering from the cold air-conditioned room, she tried to move Dani over so she could get back under the covers.

No such luck.

Dani had rolled over, spreading her frame to encompass the entire bed, and there had been no awakening her. How the hell could Dani sleep so heavily!? They had been sleeping for three days already, anymore and she'd start to think that there was something wrong with them. Julie fumed even as she set herself up to sleep on the couch, which was not as nearly as nice to sleep on as the bed had been, and not half as warm. She shivered for a half an hour before getting up to look for another blanket, which she didn't find. After another two hours of tossing on the couch and trying to wake up Dani (key word: trying), she finally decided to call management to see if they could fix the air conditioner, because no matter what she did to the thermostat, it stayed the same temperature. They told her they'd get someone to look at it in the morning.

So here she was, still freezing her ass off, with the window open which warmed her slightly, though the heat sadly didn't carry to the couch. Leaning into the breeze, she spied the beach in the distance. If only she had brought her swimsuit! Julie mourned at the lost opportunity. She was never able to go to the beach that often, though she loved it so.

Leaning her head against the wall, she smiled slightly at the fresh ocean breeze. Who would have ever guessed that a place such of this was host to the most disgusting, (in her opinion) dirty, backhanded tournament that there ever was or will be. It was so peaceful, Julie thought, the sun warming her - -

"Hey! Get off 'a there!"

Julie was shoved roughly, crying out in surprise as she tumbled backwards onto the floor. The first thing that I saw after my little accident was Kuwabara's alarmed face looking down on me, before I scrambled to her feet. While I was brushing myself off, I glared mildly at Kuwabara and asked, "What was that for?!"

"Eheh..." he replied, looking seriously pale, then mumbled something and left to sit on the couch as far away from me as possible. I looked at him for a second, wondering for a second what his problem was, before it struck me. Sitting back down on the window sill and turning my head back toward the breeze, trying not to feel hurt by Kuwabara's sigh of relief.

Why was I scaring them? What was so scary about me? I had barely spoken an entire paragraph to them since I woke up, so what was it that was so frightening about me? I guess the only way to know is to ask, and I'm not going to do that. I don't know why I don't want to ask. Maybe it's because there's so much tension between me and them and I don't want to make it worse.

Though will my silence really help matters at all?

It was perhaps three hours after the sun rose when the others came in to invite Dani and me (though less of me) out to lunch. After lunch was over they said that they would be leaving for awhile to do somethings, which made me suspicious as to what they would be doing, but before they left to do anything, Koenma would be coming to fill us in on the situation. I refused lunch, of course, though Dani was extremely adamant that I should come. I told her that I needed to think, which was true, but the real reason was that I couldn't bear the thought of food, even if I was really hungry. The food that they had brought last night for me to choke down had almost made me throw up, so I didn't even want to try risking that with other people around. I also wanted Dani to have some fun before Koenma explained exactly how we had gotten here. Even if he might answer our questions, what he said would probably change Dani's perceptions of the world around her. My perceptions were skewed enough that what Koenma said wouldn't affect me much.

As soon as they left, I did something I was told strictly not to.

I left the hotel.

And don't get me wrong, I'm usually not that big of a rule breaker. Actually, I'm pretty good at sticking to the rules, mostly because I'm afraid of the consequences. But there are times that I will blatantly or subtly do exactly what I'm not suppose to.

The others were probably going to stick around the hotel because of the rule that there was to be no fighting on or around the hotel grounds and that any demon found to be feasting on a human who was not participating in the tournament, would be disqualified and abruptly kicked off the isle. This, I found out from one of the staff when I asked why demons weren't picking off every human for afternoon snacks, albeit in a more delicate manner. This way, Dani would be less likely to see something she wasn't suppose to (aka a non-human looking demon) and so, would be less likely to freak out and draw attention.

Deciding that the others weren't going to stray far from the building, I went out to walk around the beach. I chose to go to the beach, even though I'd probably prefer the forest, because there was more demons running around the trees than out in the open (most likely because it was more improbable that they were going to be caught doing something they weren't suppose to where there wasn't any place to hide). Besides, I had no desire to get lost and then be unfortunate fool that ran across someone akin to the big bad wolf. Or worse, I'd have to stay wandering around till I found my way out or someone came to find me. Either way, they probably wouldn't let me out of the hotel room, or leave me alone in the hotel room, without a companion. A.K.A.: a babysitter

I was much too smart to have that happen.

It actually wasn't that bad, walking up and down the water's edge. The breeze, I think, was the best part. I love the wind. I love it blowing through my hair and caressing my face, the faster and harder the better (my that does sound kinky!), though I doubt that I would like being in a hurricane or a tornado.

After an hour or so, I felt so much better, my muscles felt all loose and I was finally calm. I hadn't realized how bad I was feeling, how awful it had been with strangers, and how nervous they made me. Now I didn't want to go back, even though I knew I had to. I hadn't even sorted anything out, but who knew how long the others would stay out of the hotel room? I really didn't feel like being reprimanded, so with a sigh I started back to the hotel.

I circled around the building and entered through pool side entrance after seeing Dani and the others browsing through the gift shop; Dani loved shopping so she must have wheedled them all through lunch, and the other girls most likely helped her. I couldn't resist the smile that came unbidden to my face. I really love my cousin.

I wouldn't have minded this if the gift shop hadn't been located in plain view of the elevators. After asking another of the hotel personnel, I finally found the stairs, which were usually used by the servants and others who did not wish to be seen, as the guy who had been trying to flirt had told me. He never even heard the menace in my voice or notice that after I thanking him, I flicked him off when his back was turned.

Some guys were so dense.

Scrambling up the steps, trying to make it before the others decided to come up and see me gone. Even though I was partly safe now that I was in the hotel, I could always say that I had just wanted to stretch my legs, but it would be much better if I got there before them. Huffing and puffing by the time I got to the third staircase, I nevertheless ran up those steps with the speed of a horse and the grace of Kuwabara. Catching my breath as I power-walked through the hallways, I made it to the entrance and opened the door, just as the elevator 'ping-ed' and the double doors slid open.

Hastily opening the door and locking it, I went over to the window and opened it, a precaution for Kurama's nose just in case he could smell the ocean on me. Then finally, I scrambled for the bedroom, lamenting the fact that none of the other doors had locks on them. I went into the bathroom, discarded my clothes and stepped into the shower. These, too were precautions for Kurama's nose, as I had no clue just exactly how much he would be able to smell. If a fox's nose was anything like a dog's, well then, if he wanted to take a closer whiff of my clothes then I was screwed.

As I turned on the shower, I heard the main door being opened, but I ignored it in favor of getting myself cleaned. The hot water felt absolutely wonderful as it beat against my skin. I never wanted to go five days without a shower ever again. My head was really itchy and my skin had started to stink within the past twelve hours, so it was wonderful to finally rid myself of the smell. When I finished scrubbing with the hotel brand shampoo that was a basic accessory of the bathrooms, I turned the water to as cold as it could go. Grabbing a loofa and squirting some body wash on it, I hummed to myself as I saturated myself in soap. I never even noticed when the bathroom door opened.

"Excuse me? Hello?"

As much as I had mentally prepared myself for the sight of a non-human, it still didn't help me for the sight of the blue oni with yellow hair and a horn on his head. Yelping and jumping back, I unexpectedly lost my balance, fell, and hit my head on the porcelain soap dish bringing the curtains down with me.

George scratched his head and turned off the shower, then stared down at the moaning naked female still covered with soap.

"Umm...oops?"

Dani checked her wallet, even as she browsed through the gift shop's selection of clothing with the help of Botan and Keiko. Although she didn't really like their sense of style, she was glad for the company. As it was, she had found a t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and a bikini that she really liked, but sadly only had enough to get a single item. Thank god they use the same money here, Dani thought, though that was weird in and of itself. She certainly never hear of an island in the Pacific Ocean that catered to the rich crowd and fighters. Of course she had heard about some sort of tournament going on, that would certainly explain why everything seemed to be peaceful. Dani shrugged, she really didn't care either way. Fighting had never been her thing, except when she was bitch-slapping some whore who made her angry.

Smiling happily, she went up to the cashier after finally deciding to get the bathing suit. She had seen both the pool and the beach and with her body she was bound to entice some hapless youth, one of the hotel staff if she was lucky. Maybe she'd be able to get a discount or something, or even come back for the summer. All she had to do was fly to California, then find a boat headed to 'Hanging Neck Island.' Surely her mom and dad would love this place!

Busy planning away in her head and staring off into space, Dani didn't even notice when Botan was trying to get her attention.

"Woo hooo? Hello in there? Botan to Space Cadet Dani, please land immediately."

Shaking her head, Dani asked, "What is it? Did you buy anything?"

Botan beamed, "Only this super-cute tank top!" She held up a yellow, red polka-dotted, tank top with red ribbons on the shoulder straps.

Dani sweat-dropped and smiled, murmuring, "Whatever you say.."

Yusuke, irritated, walks up and rudely asks, "Are you guys done yet?! We've been waiting all day!"

"Yusuke," Keiko responds as she pops up behind me, causing him to jump, haven't heard her walk up, "Must I remind you that we left the restaurant only twenty minutes ago." She reminds him, pointing to the clock hanging behind the checkout counter. Surely enough it was only 1:40 in the afternoon.

"Yeah, well, it feels like it's been a friggin' life time," Yusuke grumbled, then stomped over to Kuwabara. "Come on, Kuwabara. I'm sure they have a video game room around here or something."

"Oh, no you don't!" Keiko yelled, "All I have to do is pay for this and then we're leaving so hold your horses!"

Yusuke grumbled even more, slouching against the wall with Kurama chuckling behind his hand, Hiei silently smirking, and Kuwabara looking vapidly around. Keiko bought the lilac sun dress that she had found and as she said, they immediately left. But without warning, Kurama stopped, lifting his head to scent the air.

"What is it, Kurama?" Yusuke asked.

"I don't know. I was almost sure that..." Kurama shook his head, "Never mind. It isn't important. Just thought I smelled something familiar"

"Alright. Whatever you say." Yusuke shrugged unconcernedly.

"Are you all quite finished? I would like to know what Koenma has to say," Hiei drawled.

The trip in the elevator was relatively uneventful, with the exception of the girls exclaiming over each other's purchases, and Dani trying as best she could to hide her uneasiness about the coming meeting with Koenma. The truth was she hadn't even remembered it till Hiei had said something. She wondered what he wanted to speak to them about. Maybe who it was that kidnapped them, or even how to get them home. Maybe Koenma was the one who would be footing their plane tickets! Her mom and dad could always pay him back, after all. Walking through the halls now, every step bringing more anxiousness, she finally decided to stop asking herself questions she couldn't answer.

But even she couldn't put a stop to the fear that entered her when Botan opened the door.

I was so embarrassed.

Not only did I actually trip--something that I just did not do--, not only did I make a total fool out of myself when Koenma, Prince of the Spirit World, waltzed in with no regard to the occupants of the bathroom, I had actually done it naked.

Absolutely, completely, and totally buck naked. Birthday suit naked. Bare bottom and unadulterated naked. Must I say it again?! And even if I had seen him do a full, cherry red blush--one that likely went all the way down, if you know what I mean--, that does not make up for the fact that he had probably seen my tits.

Even if I have nice tits, if I do say so myself.

I finished scrubbing down after watching George, the blue ogre, apologize repeatedly turning purple, which I guess must be his way of blushing, and then leaving quickly, his hand still over his eyes. It was only too easy to pick the curtains up after that and replace them. I wish that the situation was only that easy to ignore. Even as I covered myself with bubbles, I was still blushing. I don't know how I'm going to be able to look Koenma in the eyes after this, let alone George.

It was really weird seeing these people, who before I had only known them to be cartoon characters, talking and living like real people. It was like...seeing an actor in movies and on tv, and then seeing them as real people in real life doing real things. You're first presented with an image, and then after you grew familiar with that image, you're then present with not only the image, but the substance as well. Like a picture of milk, and then you go and buy the milk, hold it, feel it and drink it, too.

Weird.

Getting dry and then dressed, I managed to pick out the baggiest clothes in my entire bag. A dark blue long sleeve shirt and sweat pants. Putting them on, I debated on whether I should go out into the main room or stay in here until Dani and the others came. Normally after an encounter like that, I would be disinclined to risk making even more of a fool of myself, but I missed socializing a little, I didn't have any books to read, and the best part, Koenma wasn't scared of me. Peeking my head out of the door, my glasses accidentally tapping against the door frame, I flinched back hoping no one had heard me, then snuck a quick look. Koenma--who was in his teenage form, since I forgot to mention--was lounging on the couch, and George was standing in the corner leaning against the wall babbling a mile a minute.

"....mad at me? Do you suppose she'll hit me horribly? You did say she's never seen an ogre before. I've probably made such a bad impression. What if she hates me now..." George ranted on and on. It was quite obvious that Koenma had stopped listening ages ago. Actually he had a peculiarly pensive expression on his face. Coughing a little, causing his eyes to focus on mine, I entered the room. He immediately turned his face away, but I could see him blushing bright red. Biting my lip to hide my amused smile I then said, "Hi, you must be Koenma, right?" I, of course, knew who he was already, but he can't know that.

Coughing a little, he jutted out his chest a little, "Yes, I'm Koenma, are you Dani or Julie?"

With a small smile, I walked over to the couch and sat down, saying, "I'm Julie. It's nice to meet you, Koenma." I found that it was much easier to talk now that there were only two people besides me in the room, and while I was still quite shy, I could force it down enough to be polite. It was especially easier when the said people weren't glaring at me like they hated me.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to put my hand out for a handshake or bow or something. I knew enough about Japanese culture to figure out their behavior and polite gestures, but I wasn't sure if these people were Japanese at all. This was all really still weird to me, like a dream that I'm going to wake up from as soon as I turn my head. Instead of figuratively sticking my foot in my mouth, I decided to stick with topics I did know.

Silence and staring out of the window. Ah, how my shyness controls me.

"Um...Julie?" My attention was grabbed by the blue ogre that had been doing an unsuccessful job of trying to hide behind the couch Koenma was sitting on. "Hi, I'm George."

"Hi, George," I smiled at him, secretly hiding a snigger. He really was as goofy-looking as he was in the anime!

"Um...well...um..." he started nervously as he twiddled his thumbs. Looking down, he took a deep breath and asked, "Are you really mad at me for causing you to fall over and making you hurt your head and showing us your-"

Koenma turned red and hit him over the head, crying in reprimand, "Ogre!"

"What? You know you want to know!"

"Ogre, I swear!" Koenma was literally steaming out of the ears from embarrassment and I couldn't believe my eyes as he turned redder and redder and redder. Snorting quietly, trying to restrain myself, but then when I saw Koenma and George arguing like two year olds (Koenma was making really funny jokes about how 'weird' he thought George was; George reciprocated, acting the part of the haughty dignified female. You know what he did? He stuck his nose in the air, sniffed, and said "I have no idea what you're talking about.").

Finally, I couldn't help the peals of laughter that finally escaped me. I laughed so hard I almost cried. And you know what? It feels really good to laugh.