Tarnished Gold
chapter 3
by M.E.
Tarnished Gold
By: M.E. (Magnificent Entity)
(manda_hunter@yahoo.com)
Part Three: Pinkushine
For a reason beyond the teacher's comprehension, his class was unusually restless today. Even Minamino
Shuuichi, the top student in the school, was having a hard time concentrating on the textbook in front of him, fidgeting
uneasily. When the bell at last rang, indicating that it was time to change classes, even the teacher sighed with
relief.
Shifting through the papers from the night's homework, the teacher barely looked up as the seniors from his creative writing class filed out through the door, squeezing past the juniors who were trying to get in for their language arts class.
As he made his way out of the class, "Shuuichi" bumped into one of the juniors trying to get in, causing her to drop her books. He quickly leaned over, helping her pick them up. It wasn't until she lifted her face that he recognized her. "Are you okay, Miku?" he asked softly, holding out her books to her. "I guess you're just too eager to learn about prepositional phrases and the differences between transitive, intransitive, and linking verbs."
Grabbing her books, Miku rolled her eyes, "Kami-sama, does it ever end? I swear, if I see another sentence diagram I'm going to scream."
Winking at the girl, Shuuichi smiled and shook a finger, "Don't worry, you'll survive it- I did. Besides, you haven't even learned the wonders of noun-verb-noun patterns yet."
Groaning, Miku stumbled into the classroom after shooting
a parting glare at the redhead. Preoccupied, she barely noticed the death looks she was getting from many of the
girls in the room as she slumped into her seat. At the moment, however, the fact that she
now had to worry about the entire Minamino Shuuichi Fanclub being out for her blood seemed to be the least of her problems.
Yawning, Miku shifted in her chair, trying to read the book that lay on the table before her. However, it wasn't
any good, she was unable to concentrate, which was strange because usually she enjoyed any time she spent in the
school library- or any library for that matter. Maybe it was just that she felt uneasy because anyone around her
could turn out to be a youko in disguise and trying to kill her... Yeah, that seemed like something that might cause a
distraction.
Sighing, she gave up, shutting the dusty tome she had been reading- or, rather, trying to read. Looked like her research report was going to have to be put on hold, she obviously wasn't going to get any work done on it now. Scooting the chair back, she got up, and began wandering around the shelves, fingers trailing lightly over the spines of the books, looking for something that would take her mind off her predicament- or at least put her more at ease.
Passing through the mythology section, she randomly choose a book, pulling it off the shelf, and leaning back against the bookshelf behind her, flipping through the pages. For some reason an authors' takes on the "mythological" youko never ceased to amaze her.
Take this one for example-
"...a rambunctious beast, the youko, half man, half kitsune, is sometimes seen as the Japanese version of the Greek sirens and the Irish silkies. Using their sensual charms, they would lure men and women into the darkness of the forest, where, after sating their sexual appetite, they would consume their prey, starting with the genitals. This reputation has only served to bring them the numerous accusations of miscarried women, who believe that the youko- a wholly evil beast- is determined to get revenge on those who would not be seduced."
A silly grin spread across her face as Miku tried to imagine the green haired assassin that attacked her a few days before doing such a thing to a human, but had to give up. He'd of probably not even bother giving a ningen- female or male- a second glance. Youko tastes ran towards the exotic, she'd learned, and very few ningen fit that category when compared to many of the youkai in the Makai- most of which were not only more beautiful, but also more willing.
Beside her she heard a snort of disgust. Surprised, she jumped nearly six inches off the carpeted floor. Shuuichi failed to completely hide his chuckle. Miku glared at him. "Don't sneak up on me like that," she scolded, adding silently accident. "Sorry," he shrugged. "I think it's rubbish."
"Excuse me?"
"The stuff in that book, about youkos; I think the author made it all up. I mean, why would any creature want to spend its life just seducing people? It doesn't make any sense."
"It's not like it's real, Minamino-kun. All it is is mythology- wait, you don't actually believe in youkos, do you?" She studied his face carefully, her eyes not giving away any of her surprise at his response.
"All I'm saying is that if there were such things they wouldn't waste their time doing stuff like that- well, at least not all of them, a few might."
"I think," she said quietly, closing the book and putting it back on the shelf, "that if there were such things as youko they wouldn't bother with humans. You're probably right about the seducing thing, that does seem pretty pointless. Personally, I think that the book isn't totally wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if there's one thing that most of these books agree on, it's that the youko class system is based on fur color. It's awful." "While it does seem unfair, I don't see why it's so horrible."
"What about the practice of murdering black kits at birth," she asked, her voice a deadly whisper. Sighing, she left the red head standing there, stunned, and, grabbing her book bag, exited the library.
Walking home, Miku kept on looking back over her shoulder, remembering that it had been on her way home a few days before when the assassin had struck. Without much thought she quickly crossed the street, going down another, and then turning on to another. It might take her longer to get home if she went this way, but there might be less of a chance of her being attacked a second time. Even so, she wasn't about to be caught off guard, and she clutched her bag firmly to her chest, the katana she had "acquired" safely hidden inside in case of an emergency.
Rounding a corner, Miku found herself heading down an alley, cardboard boxes were stacked high along the sides of the two buildings forming the path, trash cans here and there. Gulping, she kept on going- after first taking out the katana. She could go around it, but that would mean adding another mile to her walk, something that she wasn't willing to do, even if it might be safer in the long run. She may have been a otherworldly being with a several centuries of experience under her belt, but she was also a teenager, and, being such, was incredibly lazy.
The assault was certainly not unexpected. As the youko swung down from the roof of the building to her left, Miku broke into a run, knowing that her chances of surviving would be a lot better if she was in the open street beyond, and not the crowded alley. Also, they would then be in the sight of any ningens- something the assassin would not want. Miku might be removed from the rest of the inhuman world, but she wasn't blind, and lately she had been seeing evidence that indicated that a Reikai Tantei team might be working in this part of Tokyo.
Coming into the street, she swung around, facing her attacker. Holding her book bag like a shield, she grasped the katana fiercely, and glared at the youko. Bounding to a halt, the youko paused at the opening of the alley, hesitating before leaving the sanctuary of semi-darkness and coming into the street. Tossing her head, and with it her short, magenta hair, she smiled at her quarry. It was not a kind smile, and sent shivers down Miku's spine. "What a pretty blade," the assassin purred, stepping forward, her purple-red eyes bright with an intense interest. Disgusted, Miku decided that the look in them was the same she had seen cats give mice as they played with them- right before eating the doomed rodent. "Reminds me of the one my brother had... You haven't seen Midorishine, have you?"
Miku stared stonily ahead, "He's dead. He was killed by his own attack- but you already knew that, didn't you?" "Oh." The youko shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by this news. "Well, I guess we might as well get down to it, hm? I'm here to kill you, and if you're smart, you'll let me kill you without putting up much of a fight." She thrust out her right hand, then her left. From her sharp, pink fingernails snaking lines shot out, grasping at Miku. Desperate, she batted them away with her bag, slice downwards at others with the katana's blade. One of the ropes slapped against her leg, and she screamed at the painthat shot through the limb. It felt like her flesh was being burned to the bone.
Leaping over Miku so that she was now behind the girl, the
youko laughed, "Strike one." Twirling around, Miku tried to keep her eyes on the woman,
but found it hard to do so as she could still feel the pain in her leg. Another of the ropes hit her across the back,
and she stumbled to her knees, unable to see anything due to the tears streaming from her eyes. Curled up on the
ground, the only thing she could hear was the laughter of the youko.
Something was wrong. Yusuke looked up, his eyes running down the street. Where was-? There! He pinpointed the spot
in his mind, and gestured to Kuwabara to follow him before he ran off. Who could be exerting such an intense,
concentrated stream of you-ki in this area? Rounding the corner he skidded to a spot, Kuwabara
arriving seconds after him. "What the shit-?!" Gaping, his friend stared at the scene in front of them, at the youko
woman totally oblivious to everything except for the girl lying on the asphalt before
her. Yusuke grabbed his friend's arm as if warning him to keep his mouth shut.
Looking at the other end of the block, he saw Kurama standing still on the sidewalk. What was he doing here? Oh-
yeah, wasn't this this the route he took coming home from school? Shrugging off the thought, he leapt into action,
rei-gun cocked and ready to shoot.
"Stop! You're under arrest by order of the Reikai! Are you going to come peacefully, or am I going to have to force you?" For once he hoped he wouldn't have to force the youkai before him, he was wearing a shirt that Keiko had given him as a birthday present, and if he ruined it she probably wouldn't speak to him again. Or hit him- he wasn't sure which was worse.
The youko hissed, turning her attention to Kuwabara and Yusuke,"Keep out of this, Tantei-twerps."
Yusuke sighed, it looked like it was going to be force- oh well, he hoped that Keiko would forgive him. Aiming, he fired a burst of energy at her, wounding her in the side. However, right when he was about to shoot again, one of the glowing magenta ropes surrounding the woman glided forward. A blur of yellow-orange energy swung down on it, cutting through the strange string right before it could pierce Yusuke's heart. Grinning, Kuwabara shot his friend a thumb's up.
Behind the youko, Kurama had been slowly advancing, rosewhip in hand. Apparently she hadn't noticed him earlier, which was just fine with Kurama. When he was only a few feet away, he made the whip into a lariet, and threw it over the woman's head, then yanked it towards him, letting the thorns dig into her throat, piercing her windpipe. Having a still target, Yusuke let the energy gathered on the tip of his finger burst loose, blasting a hole in the youko's stomach. Kurama barely had enough time to leap out of the way of the still-moving bullet.
As the body fell to the ground, it disappeared.
Running forward, the three youths reached the girl lying on the pavement immediately. Yusuke recognized her as being the same girl that he and Kurama had noticed in the park a couple of weeks before. He watched as Kurama's eyes widened, and stepped forward. "Is she...?" Kneeling down, Kurama felt for a pulse, then shook his head. "No, she's still alive. I think we got here just in time, it looks like she only got hit by...what ever those things were...twice." He picked up her discarded book bag and tossed it to Yusuke. He then scooped her up in his arms, careful not to hurt her anymore. "Come on, we can take her to my house, it's not far, and 'Kaasan was going to go shopping this afternoon, so she's probably not home." They started off, except for Kuwabara, who had to go run some errands for Shizuru, who had apparently threatened to tan his hide if he didn't help her.
As they walked along, Yusuke nudged Kurama with his elbow, "So, what's going on between you two?" He gestured to the girl in Kurama's arms, and winked.
Annoyed, Kurama glared at his friend, "Nothing. Miku's
just a friend. I see her sometimes at school."