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A Little Laughter	By : UKImouto Category: Yuyu Hakusho > General Views: 2397 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own YuYu Hakusho, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
Hello all and welcome back
to my strange adventures. In just two chapters, the mood of this story has
turned and flip-flopped around. I hope ya�ll dun mind. I�d like to thank my
reviewers for their kind words, as I open another chapter. I can�t help but smile
at this one, because its occurrence was when I was a Junior in high school. I
actually still keep Michael�s pendant despite its effects. You will see soon
enough what I mean.

Disclaimer: I don�t own Yu
Yu Hakusho. Please note that the events in this story are somewhat based on
true events, and that it is with a hopeful heart that it will be read with
nothing more than an open mind.

Chapter 9: For The First
Time

�That wasn�t very smart,
Kitten,� Jirkle said, quietly embracing me from behind. �If that bastard doctor
finds out you tried to�you know�they�ll��
�I wasn�t planning on
living long enough to worry about it,� I stated hotly. I wrenched myself from
his tender arms, crossing to the other side of my room. It looked the same as
it always had, definitely not in the state it had been when I�d last seen it.
The clothes and suitcase covering it, the door shut with my shoes sitting
beside the way, as if it were the entrance to my house instead of my bedroom.
Jirkle sighed and settled
his strong chin on my shoulder, his hands at my hips. �Little Kitten, this is
so not like you. I had thought that you were past attempting to kill yourself
again. Ever since that Sevon boy did himself in.�
�I still don�t even know
if Sevon really did it himself or not,� I sighed, trying in vain to get Jirkle
to release me.
Jirkle sighed again, his
warm breath tickling the hair at the nape of my neck. �Kitten, there�s
something I�ve been meaning to tell you.�
�About?�
�Dirken�isn�t all that he
seems. He�s actually very kind, usually. Just not toward��
�Humans?� I snapped.
�Those who can see him,
yes. Dirken is�unique. He can control your dreams, as you�ve seen, but he�s
also very skilled with manipulating the dead souls of others,� Jirkle murmured
into my neck. It was almost like he was trying to turn me on by whispering
deadly secrets to me.
The soft, hot leather of
his right ear-wing caressed my cheek softly as I leaned further into his arms.
�What do you mean, Jirk?�
He sighed, the air blowing
into my ears. �The pendant that Michael gave you, Kitten. You need to take it
off.�
I tore myself from his
arms. �What?!� My voice was squeaky, protesting.
�You need to take
Michael�s pendant off,� Jirkle said, his tone warning now. �It�s a catalyst for
dead demon souls.�
�B-But�I had demon dreams
before Michael gave me��
�Yes, since you were
eight,� Jirkle agreed. �But you didn�t meet Dirken until��
�Until the night of
Michael�s death,� I finished, my eyes wide. �I didn�t even��
�Dirken never caused the
little red-head to die, Rei. Dirken is dead, merely a soul who had bonded
himself to Michael, and now you. If you take off the catalyst, only the dreams
will remain, and they won�t be quite as bad or as vivid.�
I blinked slowly, not
quite sure how to take it. For four years now, I had lived with the idea that
my demons caused everything in my life to happen. But my demons had just as
much influence over the people in my life as any other dead spirit did.
Everything that had happened�My father�s and baby brother�s and mother�s
deaths, Sevon�s and Michael�s�
It was all simple
happenstance?
�Everything, Kitten,�
Jirkle said, smiling sadly as everything dawned on me. �You are very special,
Rei, there�s no doubt about that. You�re special because you have dreams,
vivid, life-changing dreams. But they are no more than that without the
catalyst that still, even now in your dreams, hangs from your neck.�
I glanced down at the blue
pendant, Michael�s final gift to me. It wasn�t until then that I noticed that
Kuronue�s red pendant was missing. �Where�s Okuro?�
�Your friend took him off
of you shortly after you passed out,� Jirkle said. �Something about �old
friends�, or so said Okuro hisself. I can�t see them unless you�re awake, but I
can still hear Okuro if he speaks to me.�
�B-But�what about the blood
on Shuichi�s carpet?� I asked. �And the cut on Shuichi�s neck? They�re real.
And so are my wounds, too!�
Jirkle smiled. �Dirken
told you little Shuichi had a secret, didn�t he?�
�Yeah, but��
�You won�t get another
word from me.�
And Jirkle vanished into thin
air again, leaving me in my dream bedroom to wait for myself to wake up. It
seems weird, but once my demons leave, often I have nothing to do but sit in
whatever space they leave me in to wait. Sometimes it�s in my room, sometimes
in a bizarre room off in some far-off country that I don�t recognize. A few
times, I�ve been left places where I can still hear live demons walking around
and talking, but it�s like we�re in two completely different layers of reality.
If what Jirkle was saying
was true, I wondered if I was in the �dead� reality and the voices I heard were
of the living reality. I wondered if when I dreamed, I literally became a
ghost, my spirit hovering places until my physical body dragged me back into
the waking world.
I wondered, but I knew
that I may never know, with how wispy Jirkle was about giving answers, and how
much the other demons neglected to really talk about things like that. I
sighed, picking up my textbook for English class. The pages fell open to Poe�s
�The Raven�, and I sat back to read it, reminiscing Shuichi�s cool reading of
the final stanzas just yesterday.
Was it really so obvious
to other people that the Raven had killed the man? Was I just stupid to think
it was a demon reflected in its eyes? Was I silly to imagine that the Raven was
innocent? Maybe like Michael and Sevon, Poe was merely trying to suggest the
demon had done it, and the man in the poem had committed suicide instead.
The man in the poem was
crazy, most people say.
Was I just as crazy to
believe in these demons so fervently?
And was it even worth
wondering over any more?
The odd pull of
consciousness was different now than it was during normal sleep. It was like a
wrenching scream drawn from my throat by the dagger. I felt like I�d never
opened my eyes, like I was fresh from the womb. Light crowded into my eyes, my
eyes, and I closed them up again. So much hurt and pain�my feet burned, my
muscles ached, and nothing seemed to want to move.
Except my throat, it
wanted water.
�Nnn��
And my idiot brain wanted
to know exactly�
Precisely�
�W-Where am I?�
�St. Michael�s Hospital,�
Shuichi�s smooth, even voice answered. The red-hot glow beyond my closed
eyelids blinked off with a click. �How are you feeling, Galis-san?�
Slowly, I opened my eyes,
and despite the tired, glum feel of the lids, I forced them to stay open.
Sleeping more would only make me more tired.
�I hurt all over,� I
murmured, pushing at the soft white covers with my noodle-soft limbs. My feet
refused to budge, the burning in them twice as bad as the dull ache in the
muscles. Finally, I managed to sit myself up with my forearms and glance around
the room. �But I kind of expected that.� I sighed, my shoulders hunched.
�They�re going to send me to re-evaluation for entrance into the psycho ward,
aren�t they. Soon as they find out I�m up.�
�Fortunately for you,
Kamiya-san does not believe that you will make another attempt, and that you
were acting entirely out of grief for your mother,� Shuichi said, smiling
softly. �You look better than you did, Galis-san.�
�In other words, I look
like fuckin� hell died over and drug back up from the briny deep of Davy Jone�s
Locker,� I smirked. I used my not-as-rubbery arms to push myself to sit up and
talk, at least resembling a normal person. �Jirkle said you took Kuronue.�
Shuichi smiled softly,
holding the pendant up so I could see the deep crimson stone in which Kuronue
resided. �He was correct.�
�He also said that you and
Kuronue were �old friends�,� I said quietly. �And that you have secrets.�
�We have well established
that I am a secretive person, Galis-san.�
�Rei.�
�I�m sorry?�
I glanced at the white
walls, at the nothingness that reminded me too much of Kamiya-san for my own
good. �I want you to call me Rei. We�re�I guess you could call me your friend.
And you�ve already started thinking of me as Rei.�
Shuichi smiled softly.
�All right, Rei-san.�
�No. Just Rei,� I said stubbornly.
Shuichi nodded calmly and
handed me the little red jewel that contained Kuronue. �I will accept only if
you consent to call me Shuichi.�
I nodded quietly, my blush
creeping over my face as I realized I definitely was not wearing my normal
clothes any more, but a paper smock. My backside shivered with the coolness of
the darkened room. Kuronue�s pendant settled beside Michael�s and I stared at
the little blue stone, biting back tears.
�Jirkle said something to
me�several somethings, I should say,� I murmured. �He said that none of my
demons can be blamed for the death of Michael, Sevon, David, or my Dad. That it
all happened�because they did.�
�How does he explain your
mother�s death?�
�I didn�t ask,� I sighed.
�And he vanished.�
The hospital room closed
in on us in the silence that ensued, and I studied the place in an attempt to
make it seem less imposing. The sheets were white, the walls white, the chair
on which Shuichi sat was white. His pink school uniform and brilliant red hair
standing out like some gorgeous little flower arrangement on a white kitchen
table. It was then that I realized he looked almost exactly like a rose.
So why wasn�t I scared of
him?
Why wasn�t I afraid?
I scrutinized him with my
eyes, narrowing them at each perfectly buttoned button, at every non-existent
wrinkle in his uniform, at the red hair that framed his delicate face. I tried
to figure out just what it was about this tall, elegant, polite boy that made
him so attractive to me, when I had avoided people of his kind for years.
�Find something
interesting?� he asked, seeming more amused than annoyed.
�I�m trying to figure you
out.�
�Many have tried, few have
succeeded,� Shuichi chuckled. �I would be surprised if you figured me out just
by looking at me.�
�No, not by looking at
you,� I said, wincing at the sudden twinge in my feet. �I�ve talked to you for
almost two weeks now. Yet it feels like I�ve known you all my life. I think
I�ve finally figure you out.�
He smirked, leaning
playfully on his hand, his elbow on his knee. �Have you, now?�
�Yeah. I have. You�re a
demon, too, aren�t you. A�a �kitsune�, like you said,� I dove into my brain,
dredging up thoughts and hunches. �You�somehow you got your hands on a human
body. And�and your friends, they�re sort of like teammates, too, aren�t they?
�Cause you look at them with respect, too. Like you know what they�re capable
of, even though I�ve got no clue what they can do, but anyway.
�You�re scared, too.
You�re scared to lose your mom cause of what you are. You�re scared that if
anyone does figure you out, they�ll use it to their advantage, so you�ve�you�ve
enveloped yourself into this huge fa�ade so that no one can do it. You�ve made
it to where you can�t even show all your emotions unless it�s�I dunno, of use
to you. That�s what I think.�
The frown on his face was
enough to let me know that I�d gotten at least some of it correct, even if
other bits weren�t quite accurate. When he spoke, his tone wasn�t exactly cold,
but it wasn�t warm, either.
�I don�t know how you
managed to do that, Galis-san, but I would like to know how and I would also
like your word that you will not divulge that information.�
I rolled my eyes. �What�s
with the macho attitude, huh? Look, I wouldn�t have said anything if I didn�t
think I couldn�t keep it a secret. Loose lips are not a part of my repertoire.�
Shuichi smiled softly. �I
merely needed the assurance. How did you��
�It�s kind of obvious if
you�ve watched people as long as I have, and had dealings with demons for twice
that long,� I said, shrugging. �I watch people, I figure them out. It�s a curse
and a gift.�
�Like your dreams?�
I smiled, glancing down at
Michael�s pendant. �Mind if we try something here?�
He blinked and politely
nodded. �Of course, what is it you had in mind?�
�Jirkle said that this is the reason I have those weird dreams and the
demons surround me like they do,� I said, holding up Michael�s blue pendant.
�And that all the demons I�ve encountered are actually dead spirits. This thing
is a�a �catalyst�, that�s what he called it.�
Shuichi blinked, taking
the blue stone from my hands and gently examining it. �Haven�t you ever taken this off?�
I laughed sheepishly,
shaking my head. �Only once. It never occurred to me that the reason that the
demons weren�t there was that I�d taken off Michael�s pendant.�
�You knew Michael since
you were eight years old?� Shuichi asked, still studying the round blue stone
that was still around my neck. He was closer than I would have liked had he
been anyone else. But he was so near, and yet I felt myself relaxing even more
rather than tensing up.
�Yeah, sort of. We found
those cards when we were eight, but the dreams didn�t get really bad until I
was twelve.�
�What happened then?�
�Michael and Sevon killed
themselves. It was the night before that that Mike gave me this. It was my
birthday.�
Shuichi studied the jewel,
held to the silver chain on my neck by a mere bit of metal. I watched the contours
of his face, his gentle, not-quite-high and not-quite-low cheekbones twitching
slightly with the concentration he had. His usually wide green eyes were
narrowed, almost as scrutinizing as I�d been. He was so near, I could see the
small, clear pores of his little slightly pointed nose, curved upward cutely.
If I wanted to, I could have kissed him.
But I would have ruined
what was becoming a friendship the likes of which I�d not known of since before
I met Michael and Sevon. I was content to watch him, study him the way he
studied my pendant. He was special, and in more ways than I could count. He had
an air of kindness, of gentleness, and yet a fierce sort of protectiveness all
around him, like a glow. Like a rose with many thorns, which if you held just
right, would be perfectly beautiful and soft.
�Shuichi, d�you think
it�ll work?� I asked quietly. �D�you think if I take Michael�s pendant off, the
demons will go away?�
My friend started at
hearing his name, only his name. And then he smiled, and seemed to brush it off
carefully, stating in his head that it was how we were now. �If the demons
appeared prior to the catalyst, I don�t believe you will be completely rid of them, Rei.�
I sighed. �I thought so.�
�However,� Shuichi said
calmly. �I do believe that the strength and tangibility of your demons will
disperse somewhat. It could be beneficial.�
I sighed, and sadly stared
down at the pendant as Shuichi handed it back to me. �For four entire years, I
have not once parted with Michael�s final gift to me.�
�Rei, he wouldn�t want you
to cling to him if he knew it would hurt you,� Shuichi said, placing a gentle
hand on my shoulder. For once in six long years, I didn�t flinch away from
human touch. �He wouldn�t want you to continue to cling.�
I sighed and, slowly,
achingly, I removed the pendant from around my neck. Still clenched tightly in
my hand, I set the little silver necklace on the food tray table. The clanging
noise of metal to metal reverberated around the tiny hospital room. When at
least I released the chain from my grip, the silence was all the more loud.
In reaction, I clamped my
hands over my ears, and then, I blinked, listening. Listening to a silence that
for odd reasons unknown, was unnerving, almost evil in sound, without the noise
to uphold it. I glanced left and right, seeing only Shuichi�s silent,
unperturbed stare as I took in the single fact that I hadn�t thought of before.
�It�s�so quiet,� I
murmured.
�How do you mean?�
I blinked, slowly, trying
to make the words to describe it come. They didn�t. �It�s almost like�when
there�s a weird humming noise in class or something�after a while, you get used
to the sound and it doesn�t seem like it�s there any more. But as soon as it�s
gone, the silence is almost unbearable, so you start talking loudly to cover it
up, y�know?�
�You were listening to
white noise in your own thoughts,� Shuichi nodded. �I get a taste of it once in
a while, when you are not discussing things with your other demons. What of
Jirkle? Morana? Any of your �residents�?�

I searched my thoughts, calling out to all five of my residents. Tears welled
up in my eyes as I realized�I couldn�t find them. They weren�t responding to
anything I said. It was then that I realized what Jirkle had said only a few
days before. If I tried to get rid of my demons, I would lose everyone.
Including him.
I reached out and grasped
my pendant back in my hands and gasped at the sudden flood of noise. Voices,
whispers, dark suggestions, all swirling and running, round and round in my
head. Slowly, the noise began to fade as I grew used to it again, and Shuichi�s
voice cut through.
But his words were lost
when I heard Jirkle�s sweet voice in my head.
~Kitten, I thought
you�d taken the pendant off already.~
~*~I did�and then I took
it back. I�I love you and Morana and Mishu and the twins too much�I don�t want
to let go.~*~
~You�ve got to. You�ve
got to let us go.~
�He�s right, Rei. You
mustn�t cling��
I couldn�t take it any
more. I just blew up, finally. �What d�you know, huh?! You can�t even imagine what it�s like to have voices constantly in your
head, and then suddenly be without them! It�s like you�re cutting off a piece
of me when I can�t talk to Jirkle and Morana and Mishu and Yin and Yang!�
Shuichi sighed. �No, I
cannot imagine what it would be like, having five demons in my head instead of
only just the one.�
It took me about five
seconds to really get what he said.
�Wa-a-ait a second�what do
you mean, �just the one�?�
Shuichi smiled bitterly.
�Of course, unlike you, there is no way to break the bond between my demon and
I, considering we are one in the same.�
�So I was right!� I
smirked. �You are a demon!�
�In a human body, yes,�
Shuichi said, smiling softly. �You need to sleep for now, Rei. See what it
feels like to sleep without fear.� Gently, he took Michael�s pendant from me,
and the voices and humming and murmurs ceased again. I nodded slowly and
suppressed a yawn. I wanted to continue talking with him.
With my friend, the demon.
For the first time in six
years, I dreamed without demons, and without fear of death over my head. I
dreamed of better times, of before Michael, Sevon, and I had stumbled on the
cards in Michael�s attic.
I dreamed of smiles and laughter, of beaches and sunshine,
of a red baseball cap lost in the waves. Of an innocent kiss between two young
friends destined to be more, but to never be.
***
Ah�blissful silence. It happens every time I take the
pendant off. But somehow, as Rei does in the story, I still have to cling to
it. ^^;; Yup. I cling. I have to hear Jirkle and Morana and the gang or I get
nervous and break down. Lol

A Note on Japanese names. Rei was arguing with Shuichi over
calling her Rei, not Rei-san, or Galis-san. The reason is because Rei wanted to
make it quite clear that she trusted Shuichi�Kurama to us. In Japan, allowing
or asking someone to call you by their name, without honorifics, is considered
the utmost in trust, and a great honor. For Rei to demand it, however, may have
been a little more confrontational than what Kurama had in mind. ^^()

The description that Rei gives for Shuichi is how I view
Kurama. He�s terrified of losing people, I think. Once Kuronue went (and I�m
guessing it was after Yomi�s betrayal, though we really don�t know anything
about the two timelines, or even if they should coexist at all), Kurama vowed
to not befriend someone else. Until he was reborn as a human and was
reintroduced to those ties, in a much more personal sense.

The �cards� incident that Rei refers to is entirely
fictional, for the purpose of the story. I did not actually meet Michael and
Sevon until I was eleven years old�three years after Xanatos first appeared.

Now, I want to explain what a �catalyst� is for those who
are unaware. It�s a chemistry word. When you mix chemicals together, a catalyst
provides a needed function to change a mixture into something else, but the
catalyst itself is not �consumed� in that process. What Michael�s pendant does
(or so goes my theory, which can never be proven, but oh, well) is mix my
spirit with dead souls of demons and allows us contact without harming itself
or me in that process.

So, yeah, that�s my theory. ^^;; The demons are actually
dead demons, clinging to whatever is nearest that can help them stay in this
world and not go on to Spirit world or wherever.

And those dreams of better times?

^__^ They happen when I need them the most.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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A Little Laughter