POCKYUKI's Journal

POCKYUKI's Journal
5 most recent posts

Date:	2004-01-18 19:03
Subject:	Scroll Four (wow, long time, ne?)
Security:	Public
Mood:	amused
Music:	Linkin Park- Easier to Run

Kem conjured a pair of headphones from her bag and clipped them onto her black doggy ears, and zoned out. "I have this irrepressible urge to karaoke in German." "That was random." "That it was." Hyrin suddenly grinned fangly and grabbed Goku's sleeve, tugging on it, her eyes sparkling the way they only to when...

"I'm hungry! Harrahetta!" The little wolf demon cried. "Let's go get something to eat!"

"Hai!" Goku agreed, getting the same look. They bounded off before anyone could say anything.

"Hn, bakas, they don’t realize they don’t have any money. Wait-" Sanzo began digging through his baggy sleeves, coming out Golden-Credit-Card-less, eye twitching.

"Heh, Okami's getting better." Goyjo smirked.

"We've taught her well." Shi and Kem clapped their hands twice, then bowed.

"Hey, don't feel bad dude. Happens to the best of us," said Kem, patting Sanzo on the back as she exited the room. Sanzo was confused. Oh so desperately confused. "What he doesn't know is that we taught her that," Shi whispered loudly to Kem, who nodded approvingly.

"YakiSobaaaaaaa!" Hyrin cried loudly, clicking her chopsticks together and the two cyclones some would call kids started devouring the first plate in front of them. They'd ordered almost everything on the menu and the waitresses watched in horrified awe as the demons downed their first plates in less then a second.

"Bet I can finish five meals quicker!" Goku challanged around an eggroll.

"Bring it on, smartass!" Hyrin snorted, swallowing the last of the dumplings.

"Ready...Se-"

"GO!" Hyrin grabbed three plates and piled them all onto another, then began shoveling them with her chopsticks. Goku cried in dismay and they began arguing, not noticing they were being watched by someone in the corner of the store, who was being watched by two other men. One was wearing a red jacket and had blonde spikey hair, while the other was smoking and had black hair and a large cloth covered cross like object next to him. They eyed the stranger who eyed the two kids (which were trying to eat and stuff the other's face in their meals unsuccessfully).

The one in the corner stood up, and pulled a few stray strands of blond hair out of his face. Kem walked over to Goyjo, holding a bottle of rootbeer in her left hand, and bent down and whispered something. He looked to the one in the corner, then back up at Kem.

The half demon passed it on to the other Half breed next to him, who also sent her crimson gaze to the man in the courner, even the two children there had noticed the tension and had slowed down, but not too much. Weather that was out of brilliace (bu not allowing the person to know they saw him) or simply not understanding the situation (mosy probally that), it's heped alot and the elders of the group were able to study the man a little. Ransa and Sanzo looked at one another, then back at the man eyeing Hyrin and Goku, their responcibility.

'I think he's only looking at them cause it's more obvious that they're demons then the others, he's been eyeing Kem alot as well...' Ransa thought to Sanzo, using the connection of the mind all Sanzo Priest and Priestesses had to one another. It was formed the moment they got the chakra on their brow. Kem sighed, and pushed her chair back, stood up and strode over to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. From everyone else's perspective, all they saw was her talking, and him looking up.

"Oh my god ..." Shi whispered, Hyrin and Goku stopped in a chopstick sword fight and looked up, and even Hakkai seemed worried.

"Would you mind coming up to us and telling us what you're staring at?" Kem asked, right hand twiddling a few strands of black hair around. Hyrin tensed, swallowing a mouthfull of food without chewing in her nervousness.

"Kitsune Bakaaa!" SHe hissed under her breath, then rolled her eyes and stood up, her voice rising. "Maa? Nani!?" (Well? What?!) Kem snapped her hand out to the man's forehead and forced his face up to the light.

"I said what the hell are you staring at?! Answer me, kuso!!" Hyrin could see his face now, vaguely and distantly familiar.

Suddenly, the okami's green-gold eyes widened, and she backed away, almost in fear. Shi and Ransa looked at her with odd expressions on thier faces, as if saying 'What the hell's your problem?' While Saisu looked worried.

"Ahh..." Hyrin looked at the ground her eyes flying over the tiled wood. "I-I gotta run..." She flew out of the room and into the street, bells jingling as she left. Ransa looked up at the man who'd scared her charge, then recagnition spread over her features.

"Well...It's you. I thought you'd died." She snorted casually, but there was disgust in her eyes.

"I did." Kem's dark hand trembled, and she recoiled it as if burned. "Who are you?" she demanded quietly, and his half-lidded eyes rolled lazily up to her. "Depends who's asking."

Hyrin stumbled on her way to the door and, not looking where she was going, ran right into the table with the two men. The wolf girl yelped, leapt away, slipped and fell on her rear right behind Kem and the man, who looked down at her and smirked icily.

"What do you know, you've grown, demon." He hissed, amusement in his eyes. Hyrin stared at him, fear showing in her wide eyes, then they narrowed, and she tried to look brave.

"And you've gotten uglier." Hyrin snorted.

"Don’t try to hide it, I can smell your fear. You remember me, eh?"

Hyrin scowled, almost in shame, and stood, planting her feet. The Sacrificial markings never truly go away, they reappear with the right plant mixture. And the man could remember the child who destroyed his village and her markings well. Two lightning bolt like paintings in red (like in the intro to .hack//sign). Hyrin eyed him with a gaze that gave a new definition to 'If looks could kill.'

Kem put a hand down on Hyrin's head, glaring at the man who'd scared her. He smirked down at Hyrin, and for a moment Kem felt something strange rip through her veins. She snatched the silver gun from the guy at the table's holster thing. The man in the corner smirked at her as if to say "Go on and do it. I know you can't."

Hyrin blinked up at Kem with confusion, stepping away at the appearance of the gun. It was a quite pretty gun, which is an odd way to describe a weapon of destruction used to launch a small projectile to kill someone’s life without using any or no skill at all and putting the hard-trained ninjas and knights and elves into the past and this sentence makes no sense and is too long!

The man who's gun it was looked straight ahead, eyes hidden behind zigzaggy spiffy yellow glasses. Kem looked away from the man in the corner for a moment, eyes quickly flicking over to him. From his profile she could see one sad eye, which easily conveyed the message "Why do they do this. Kill each other." Kem whispered to Hyrin: "Run back to Ransa. I won't kill anyone." She handed the gun back to the dude, then shot a venomous look at the man in the corner.

Hyrin caught the flash out of the corner of her eye, then gasped and realized who he was aiming and and speed forward amazingly fast, like a blur.

"Kem! LOOK OUT!"

*click* *BAMM!*

The two girls fell to the ground, and costumers started screaming and running out of the store.

Kem was shot through the shoulder, Hyrin grazed on her face by the same bullet. They both fell to the ground, and to both of them sound ceased to exist. Hyrin felt the vague sensation of footsteps coming towards her, and saw a blurry Shi standing above her.

For some odd reason, Hyrin couldn't focus on the red haired demon above her, her mind drifted, and a white fog covered her vision. She thought she saw brown hair and a gold diadem before slipping away. Hyrin touched down, a breeze almost seeming to come from the ground gently, giving an underwater like floating feeling. She opened her eyes cooly, and saw a town. It was small, but cheery, and people walked too and fro, chatting and laughing. But Hyrin's gaze was focused immediately on a kind looking old woman, who was holding the hand of a child, a long brown haired, gold-green eyed, gold bracelet diadem little girl. Hyrin watched impassively as the child told the woman something that made her laugh. Then her eye softened and she sat on the hill, allowing the scene so shift in front of her, allowing her to watch her past like a movie.

Back in reality, the restaurant was dead silent as everyone stared in shocked disbelief at the two bodies lying on the ground. The taller one was starting to bleed freely from a shoulder wound, lying face-down, and the other lay with her head to one side, eyes misted over. Hakkai bent down to see Kem's shoulder wound, and then looked up to the corner, but whoever it had been was no longer there.

She watched as the child grew comfortable, ignoring the other kids and adults who threatened her. In fact, the girl smiled at them, almost apologizing. Hyrin flinched as the scene changed and the elder woman was placing over the girls head a pure white dress and a red sash. On her head was placed a crown of roses, and her hair hung loose to the child's waist. The girl chattered excitedly, until they walked to the center of the street. People were lined up, like an isle. The elderly woman led her down the row and set her in a kneeling position on the centerpiece of the village square. A man was there, and he forcefully grabbed the girl's face and painted on two identical markings over her eyes.

"I need something to stem the bleeding ..." Hakkai said quietly, and conviently Sanzo had gauze in his sleeves. [Yes, Sanzo's sleeves are like your every-day StuffMart.] He quietly wrapped it around, flipping Kem up so they all could see her face. Her eyes looked strange, their blue-tinged gold being slowly invaded by a storm of crimson. Shi was looking at Hyrin, but clearly because of her eyes too, her mind wasn't with them. Off somewhere, in memories.

Hyrin ran forward, realizing what he was doing. "No! Don’t! Move kid!" She cried, trying to punch the man, but her hand slipped through. All she could do is watch as, while the priest was speaking, the child was tied to a stake and wood and hay lay around her feet. The girl watched with innocent, almost interested eyes as she watched the man talking to the other villagers. Only when a fiery stick was brought forward, did it suddenly click.

The little girl began screaming and struggling, tears began pouring down her cheeks and she cried for the lady, bu the woman just stared at her icily. That shut the girl up. Her lower lip quivered, but she hook her head in disbelief. But as the flames began to engulf the child, sadness turned to fury, unimaginable furry, and she threw back her head and screamed in rage, and with a soft ping, Saitai Taisen Rya Hyrin opened her eyes for the first time in 500 years. And she was out for vengeance.

She screamed. The sound was enough to freeze the villagers; they just stared, shaking, unable to move. After that ... the fire, and the pain, the death ... Saitai Taisen Rya Hyrin hadn't thought there to be any survivors. There was one who survived.

Hyrin stumbled through the slaughter of the villagers and finally came across the little girl-or STRH as she stood over the armless, dying woman. There was no pity on the child’s eyes, and she was smirking in amusement as the woman uttered a prayer then died. But then, she fell back and fainted, found a good day's later, unconscious by a traveling priestess and her assistant on their way back to the temple.

Ransa's face, Saisu's face, infinite events flashing by silently, all seemed to meld together into the face of Shi as Hyrin awakened. "Baka okami. You really scared me that time," Shi said quietly, attempting a smile.

Hyrin moaned and held her head. "Where?...Kem?" SHE hissed, then realized numbly someone was holding her up against their chest. SHE blushed as she recognized who it was instantly, but was too numb to really do anything about it.

"You're in the restaurant still, and Kem's fine, Hakkai was able to close her wound." Shi nodded.

"Oi, don’t scare us like that, okay Okami?" Goyjo called.

"Yes, Hyrin." Saisu agreed

"Hai, Hy-chan! You scared m-er us!" Came Goku's voice by her ear.

"Guys..." Hyrin hissed painfully. Everyone leaned in a little closer with worry.

"Yes, Hyrin?"

"..."

"I'm Hungry."

Everyone facefell.

“Hey, I'm the one who got shot here," rasped Kem, turning her head to Hyrin slowly and semi-smiling. She looked up at the ceiling, and closed her eyes. The events of the last half hour seemed like a hundred years ago: the stranger, the silver gun, the bullet. That man in the red coat. She sighed and let it all go. Holding it all in her mind was too much effort. "Hey, haven't you guys ever dealt with a bullet victim before? You're supposed to take us to the hospital."
"Well, if you travel with trigger happy monks for a while, you get used to bullet injuries." Goyjo cried.

"*click* I'm going to kill you."

"Besides, Hakkai already closed the wound, th bullet when through you and hit Hyrin slightly."

"Tis but a scratch!"

"Shut up Miss 'Black Okami Knight'"

"Okami tte una!"

"Hey." Hakkai turned around to Kem. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Kem promptly fell asleep, leaving the others to their bickering, worrying, and laughing. She didn't dream of anything, just a black void, and maybe that silver gun.

-later-

Back on the road. Kem sat in the back, next to Hakkai and Shi, Vespa in tow tied to the back. Her right elbow rested on the hot Jeep door, hand holding her head. She zoned out, a strange sadness in her eyes. The wound was already starting to heal, thanks to her youkai blood and Hakkai's help. She just couldn't help thinking about what happened, and especially about what the man in the red coat had said to her. But the noise in the Jeep simply wouldn't allow it.

Hyrin had traded with Hakkai so the man could tend Shi, so she now sat in a car with three other boys. She kept on looking out the window, sensing something approaching. Finally, after three hours, a motorcycle appeared in the distance behind them, catching up to the two jeeps fast.

"Motor on our tails!" Hyrin cried, standing in her seat. Her hair whipped out behind her and she watched wearily as the two riders came into view. The one driving was a man in black, while behind him was...The man in red! those were the guys in the store!

"Oi! Kem! Your boyfriend's come!" Hyrin called over to the other jeep, the one she was in slowing and stopping.

Kem looked over to Hyrin, blushing slightly out of embarrassment and pissed-off-ness, but nevertheless turned around to see the motorcycle pursuing them. Crap, okami, I think he heard that.

Hyrin leapt out of the car as soon as it stopped and ran over to the path of the motorcycle, waving her arms above her head. "HIIIIII!" The little okami called, grinning widely, eyes closed in a smile. The biked turned and stopped next to her, and she grinned at the two men and lifted up a hand.

"Konichiwa! I'm Hyrin! I saw you two at the bar! Kem grabbed your gun!" She pointed at the man in red.

Kem was what you'd call a social person. Extroverted, if you will. But this time she slunk down in the Jeep seat, trying to avoid being seen by him -- them -- and silently cursed Hyrin. She had to be doing this on purpose. From behind her she heard them talking.

"Yeah. I know." He said it quietly, but (thankfully) Kem heard no anger in his voice. Which was good, because someone who carried a gun that heavy was not a good person to have a grudge against you.
OkamiChan630: The man in black smiled down at the girl, laughing at her energy.

"What's your names?" Hyrin smiled fangly, if she was the okami people claimed her to be, her tail would have been wagging and her ears perked.

"Nicolas D. Wolfwood. My associate Vash the Stampede."

"Mr. Nicolas? Mr. Sampede?" Hyrin cocked her head in confusion.

"Actually, you can just call me Vash," he said, smiling. He took off the glasses and looked out to the Jeeps. "Who's your friend? The one who got shot?"

"Her? She's Kem."

"She okay?"

"Yeah."

"Just ... didn't want anyone to die. Who's everyone else?"

In the green Jeep, who's name is Hakyruu, by the way, Is Goku, the other kid, Goyjo, the male half breed, and Sanzo, the priest with a stick permentally shoved up his ass." Hyrin scowled at the said man while the two men on the bike laughed. "In the red Jeep is Kem, duh, Saisu, the white/blondie with pink eyes and glasses. Hakkai, the guy with the monical, and Shi is the female half breed."

Kem opened the Jeep door, and dragged Hakkai out with her, so she wouldn't feel like she was going up to them alone. Saisu followed quietly.

Wolfwood smiled as he got off the bike and couched to be eye to eye with Hyrin, and held out a candy.

"Here you go Hyrin."

"Wai! Arigato Mr.Wolfwood!"

Kem smiled to herself, knowing already that Hyrin would permanently attach herself to this Wolfwood guy. She hid behind Hakkai, poking him and whispering: "Say something!"

Hakkai chuckled, then stepped forward, extending a hand to Wolfwood, then Vash. "Hi there, I'm Cho Hakkai. May I ask whet your journey's business is? Maybe we can travel together?"

(Meanwhile, Kem looked over Hakkai's shoulder.)

"Our journey business ... I guess I'd have to say I don't really know that myself. Spread love and peace to the world, as Vash would say," said Wolfwood, hands in pockets.

Hyrin blinked in confusion, then stuck her tongue out at Goku who tried to steal her candy.

Finally Kem came out from behind Hakkai and said, eyes closed, "Thanks for letting me use your gun ... or not use it, I guess ... a lot of people would have made a big f*** about it, you didn't, so ... thanks."

Vash smiled and his blue eyes sparkled at the Kitsune. "It's alright, it's good to forgive! "Suddenly he leapt up and struck a dramatic pose. "Cause the world is made of love and PEA-AHHHH!" Wolfwood straightened form kicking the bike his companion was standing on.

"What the hell was that for?!" Vash cried, sitting up, with a face full of sand.

"I don’t want you denting my Angelina 3." Wolfwood snorted, closing his eyes to hide his amusement. Then the two began to argue like Goyjo and Goku.

Hyrin got right to the point. "So, you gonna come with us?"

Wolfwood looked at Vash, then back to Hyrin, and with his eyes closed casually said, "Why not."

"If you start singing that song I will kill you," came Sanzo's voice from the Jeep.

2 comments | post a comment

Date:	2003-12-20 19:33
Subject:	Scroll 3: Festival of the Red Sun
Security:	Public
Mood:	hyper
Music:	Pippin's Mist and Shadow song + Goyjo's Crimson song

The sun painted mirages on the forthcoming ground as the jeep and Vespa sped through the sand. Shi and Hyrin were bickering again over the seats ("You're on MY side of the seat!" "Think again, BAKA OKAMI!" "Okami TTE UNA!"), with Saisu driving happily and Ransa twitching in annoyance.

"My my, some things never change, now do they?" Saisu asked cheerfully to Ransa.

"How can you possible be able to tune them out?" Ransa asked, giving the driver a skeptical look. Saisu shrugged, and Ransa turned her attention to the dusty road ahead again.

"You know, some times you really piss me off..." Saisu chuckled, continuing to move faster to their unknown destination.

Kem smiled truly. This was what she lived for; her Vespa, her friends, the guitar riffs rippling under her dashboard. She lived her whole life never knowing where she was going, never worrying truly about anything, yet always managed to end up in just the right place. And here was it.

Hyrin suddenly stuck her head and most of her upper body dangerously out of the jeep, one hand wrapped around a bar above her. The demon's eyes were wide and sparkling as she pointed with her free hand to a large town coming into view over a dune. The town was dressed in red ribbons and streamers. Kites filled the skies, and the smell of food could already be sensed by all. "Saisu, is that where we're going?" Hyrin cried in excitement, Saisu laughed at the child's eagerness.

"Hai, Hyrin-chan, that's where the surprise is!"

"Wai!" Kem switched her vespa into auto-pilot and stood up on the seat, shielding her eyes from the sun that splashed off the gold dunes. She smiled again, and leaped off her Vespa to the jeep to crouch next to hyrin.

"The Weaver Festival! I haven't been to one in so long! Not since my older sisters ..." she faltered, looked down for a moment, then her mismatched eyes flashed back up again. "Yay!" The group sped up, flying over dunes and skidding to a halt outside of an inn. Saisu turned in her seat, happily ignoring the cussing people that had to throw themselves out of their way.

"I'll get us a room here, then we gotta get dressed up. This festival calls for formal wearing, so we all have to wear our kimonos. Yes, you too, Hyrin." Saisu answered the question about to come whining out of the girl's open mouth. Hyrin closed it quickly, but scowled to the side. They all clambered inside of the building, and rented five rooms for the night. They left the bickering over who would have a room to themselves till after the festival, it was time to get ready anyways.

Hyrin squatted on the bed, occasionally casting aggravated glares at the formal kimono hanging on the dresser. "The festivals I've always been forced to go to made me wear yukata, not kimono ... " she moaned, rolling backwards on the too-soft bed.

"Get some orange soda out of my pack if it'll make ya feel better," simpered Kem, voice dripping with sarcasm. Hyrin glared at her slightly, head raising slowly from the kimono. Kem went up and sat next to her. "How come you always get like this when Ransa and Saisu try to have you wear a kimono? It's really not that bad."

"Why, what're YOU wearing?" snorted Hyrin. Kem rolled her eyes.

"The purtiest kimono in the whole dang festivity." Kem pulled out a lavender kimono splattered with black Japanese fans. "Tu aimes?"

"I'm guessing that means 'you like' in, what, French?" She sighed, giving Kem an annoyed look. "Yeah, it's sugoi." Hyrin eyed the covered kimono then her expression dropped to something that came close to that of someone giving in after a long fight, and she picked up the unknown kimono, slung it over her shoulder and trudged to the bathroom. "Might as well get it over with..." She mumbled before slamming the door shut behind her.

"I swear, sometimes I feel like strangling that kid with her intestines," Kem half-thought, half-mumbled, on her way to the outside hot springs through the wood-planked corridors that were open to the air. Every step she took the moisture in the air grew denser and warmer. "Haven't gone to a Hot Springs ever since ... I went on that trip with Hyrin." She grinned self-indulgently as she rounded the last corner. A huge Hot Springs, with waterfalls splashing softly into the steaming water. As soon as she put her foot in the water she got lost in the white mist. "C'est la vie," she muttered, and closed her eyes, which were begging for sleep after that whole road trip. She was already half-way through unwinding when she heard someone curse, then a crashing sound came in the general direction of the bathrooms in the room she and Hyrin shared. Her black ears twitched slightly, and she peeked open one eye and looked around.

Meanwhile, Hyrin stepped into the room, peeking first to make sure no one was in there. She sighed in relief then lay her other outfit messily onto her bed. The day had gone by so quickly, and the sun was beginning to set. Yet the night was still young and the festival started exactly when the sun vanished. Hyrin gasped as she looked out the window and saw the red orb was already dimming low on the horizon. The demon girl sprang to the door, only to promptly trip over her kimono and fall face first onto the floor. Three falls, two staircases and many swears later, she was jogging down to the springs, calling Kem's name.

Kem pulled up her towel irritably and shouted, "what?" even more irritably. Hyrin was running down the open-air corridors; falling was more like it. She almost tumbled over two maids wheeling around laundry carts, and, panting, leaped over and crouched on the rock that served as Kem's headrest. "The sun!!!"

"what the hell about the sun? can't you see I’m trying to rejuvenate here? it's not easy staying up two nights in a row, you know!"

"The festival..." Hyrin panted, pointing at the star. "...Starts..sun..sets...Saisu..told...us..." She breathed deeply, her hair coming out of her very quickly pulled back hair. The ribbon was a dark, dark blue, the same color as the ribbon around her waist. Both had bells on them that sounded when she walked. The rest of the kimono was a soft snow white, and the demon girl wore the traditional shoes and socks. Though, Kem had to add, amused, she's probably discard them once the demon was out of Ransa's sights.

"How can they expect a phenomenon like me to just show up without being in a hot springs? I'm just so beautiful, it'd be a waste not to show up after at least bathing. You should too, road trip and no showers for two days does not bode well. As for the sun ... there's this thing Saisu told me ... this is a celebration of midsummer. Time works in weird ways on midsummer; it takes a long time for the sun to actually set. we have a good 20 minutes." Kem leaned back, put her hands behind her head, and dunked
underwater, towel slipping a few inches down in the process.

"You really are a shameless kitsune, you know that?" snorted Hyrin, to Kem as she resurfaced, blowing out a spurt of water from her mouth like a fountain.

"Better a shameless kitsune than a whiny okami." Kem dunked underwater again, just in time to dodge Hyrin's punch. She resurfaced twenty feet away, eyes grinning like a fox's in the eternal twilight. "Get me some soap from our room, will ya?" Hyrin scowled but complied, mumbling about bossy kitsunes. When she returned, she was also wearing a towel, and had a small basket around her arm with various hygiene supplies. In her other hand was her kimono and other clothing for the festival. She'd also grabbed Kem's as well.

"Through those bushes they have a changing room." She nodded to a small clump of bushes, a large hut and a door visible through the small leaves. "So i though we could just go and change in there instead of running back to the room."

"Spiffy," said Kem, who was drifting into a trance from the white steam. She snatched the soap and went glassy-eyed at it in her long-nailed hands. "Soap! i haven't seen one o' these since ... since .. ?" As Kem drifted into a pensive silence concerning the whereabouts and time of the last time soap had been located, Hyrin was bristling at the heat of the water. "Can we hurry up a little bit?"

Hyrin had never been in a hot spring, usually she took showers whenever they'd stop at a place that had them. It was burning hot, but the steam was calming, almost hypnotic as it danced over the hot water and the girl's bare skin. :You know..I've never been in one of these before..." Hyrin mumbled, eyes drooped lazily.

"Yeah ... most people don't like 'em. But the hot water and the minerals are supposed to do something to your skin ..." Kem lathered the wildflower-scented shampoo into her endless deep black and caramel-brown hair, which made her look a lot different now that it was out of its cloth wrap. "A lot of people have close calls in them, almost drowning 'cause they fall asleep...Hyrin?" Kem got up to wade at waist-deep water, a hand going up horizontally on her forehead to shield her eyes from the rays of the dying sun. "HYRIN?!?!"

'Hmm' the world around her was weightless and calm. A numb feeling surrounded her mind as she looked to the left, not really seeing anything. 'This is odd..' She thought dazedly. 'When did the world turn blue...?'

The world shimmered, the clear blueness of the water a thin veil against the red-melon sun splashed sky. Hyrin vaguely saw a blurry figure above her thrust its hands into the water, grab her shoulders, and burst her through the layer of water. "ohmygodhyrinareyouokay?" Hyrin blinked a few times, then suddenly twitched, and looked around, as if finally remembering where she was. Her eyes settled back of Kem's worried face. "I guess the steam really is hypnotic..." Hyrin drawled quietly, eyes blurring in and out of focus. Kem's figure was arched up towards the sun. "We've got exactly three minutes until the festival starts with the fireworks! C'mon!" She dashed through the bushes, looking over her back to Hyrin who was blinking in the hot springs. Strangely broken out of her trance, she sprung out of the water and started dashing after Kem.

Hyrin stumbled through the bushes and into the changing room. 'I though near death experiences were supposed to be scary..' She thought as she slipped the under kimono on, then the outer layer. The demon fan her fingers hastily through her hair, tied it in a dark blue ribbon with a bell on it and began struggling with the wrap that went around her waist and tied in a bow in the back, this too had bells on it. after hopping all over the room, out of the room, into the hall, slipping on the newly waxed floor and muttering a stream of curses, she finally gave up. "Keeeeem, when you're done can you help me?" She cried across the hall she was in to where Kem's stall was, while gripping the wall with both hands as her feet slid all over the place as if it was ice.

Kem swung the door wide open and strode on out, her can of orange soda and her love hina manga in her left hand oddly contrasting with her black and blue kimono with the red obi. Her hair was down, something Hyrin had only seen rarely. Most of the time it was bound in a red cloth. "Sure. Just let me set this down..." Hyrin eyed the orange soda with interest.

"Don’t even try it okami, it's empty." Kem said off handedly as she tied the bow. Hyrin pouted, then a few moments later realized what Kem called her and cried 'OKAMI TTE UNA!" Kem smiled and slid the can down her sleeve.

" ^-^ It's time you realized that the only reason me and Shi call you that is to annoy you." She stepped out of the changing room and started walking down the hill to the wooden Chinese-style bridge that led to the town where the Festival would be. Kites sailed across the navy starry sky that still had a corner blazing with the bleeding setting sun, but in spite of tradition to the people down in the town, the Festival had already started. Kem could smell curry. Hyrin fell into step with her partner for the past two months, her hands laced together behind her head.

"Mmmm..." She lifted her nose and sniffed, a blissful smile on her face. "Ya smell that? Harra hetta! Let's hurry!" She jumped off the path carved into the hill side and slid down the dewy grass, her shoes acting as skies. With a whoop she flew into the air due to a notch in the ground, spun in mid flight, called "Come on Kem!" and disappeared from view, her laughter the only map through her short cut to the festival. Hyrin skidded onto some gravel as she reached the end of her journey, stumbled at the sudden change in speed then hopped over to the dock built into another hill that lead right into the lake. She hopped up onto the fence to get a better view as crowds gathered quicker then moths to a flame. Over the lake the sun had just about set, and from the other direction Kem could see gold lights twinkling, gradually coming closer and closer until she realized what it was: a boat. A Festival boat, for it was decorated in gold and red and was draped in Chinese and Japanese lanterns and lights. It was reflected in the calm water and when you looked it seemed as though two boats were coming, from different sides of the lake. "Hurry up, Kem!"

Hyrin watched in awe, eyes sparkling, as the boat drew closer and closer till it docked just next to her, women scrambling out of the way for the passengers to get off. One by one, doors opened, and all the men and boys filed out neatly. Hyrin stepped off of the fence and walked up to the post nearest her to watch in awe. Her childlike face split into a grin as a ear shaking scream of a firework bursting to life and dying filled the town. The first firework. The festival began.

Kem laughed, and grabbed Hyrin's wrist and dashed off as fast as her zori would allow to the wooden bridge that led into the Festival. It was so filled with culture, just passing over that bridge and entering the town, that stepping into it was like having a berry explode in your mouth with a flavor that tastes different even though you've eaten it before [yes yes weird metaphor I know]. Kem and Hyrin's eyes reflected the lights: the lights of the neon shop and dance club signs, the lanterns vague blue and red light, the golden light from the Festival boat. "Come on, Shi and Saisu and Ransa said they'd meet us at some dance club and then we'd eat some Indian food," said Kem excitedly, and immediately their age difference fell away and they were both the same age, acting like children.

Hyrin laughed happily and they cut through the crowds, finally entering a door with a dance club glowing sign above it. "Mou...Kem? How will we dance in these?" Hyrin looked down at the kimono that had caused her such problems. "And! And is there karaoke?" Hyrin's eyes lit up at the idea of karaoke, or maybe she, Ransa and Shi playing some songs. While they were on the trip they'd taught one another how to play some instruments, Hyrin was a guitarist.

"You'd be surprised what people can do in these things," grinned Kem, gold and blue eyes lit with the fire the Festival infused in her. "These Festivals are so sugoi...traditional Japanese dancing with those little flute things, panpipes and ocarinas and stuff....and then there’s the more modern stuff, like trance music. I think this dance club plays mostly trance," said Kem, smiling. She loved trance music, and blew most of her money on trance CDs. I think there is carex too. "By the way, I'm not nagging or nothing, but the way they pronounce it here is ka-raow-kay...i learned that the hard way." Out of nowhere, her guitar appeared, but naturally fading from the darkness as if it had been there all through this time. "Seeing as I only learned bass a little while ago, I think I'll go with guitar this time. Ready to sing, Hyrin-chan?" Kem smiled broadly and stepped into the dance club, Hyrin close behind. Stepping in there was like entering a whole new world; the music throbbed the ground, the flashy kimono-ed girls dancing to it, the mirror-balls co-existing with the Japanese lanterns.

The music slowed, and soon died. The stage cleared, welcoming customers to strut their stuff for the audience. Hyrin immediately grabbed Kem and dragged her to the stage. "Ya wanna? If not I’ll just sing by myself." Hyrin replied from the stage, her gaze focused on strapping the electric lead guitar on.

Kem grinned, looking more than a fox than her ears and tails made her. "And let you have all the fun?" Kem swung her own guitar over her shoulder and brandished it, letting the dim light play over its glossy paint. How it stayed in perfect condition even after all Kem's punishment no one knew. "We don't have a bass ... want me to find one?" Kem didn't wait for an answer, snatching the microphone and asking the audience.

"It's okay! Only if you want!" Hyrin cried, and in her hands the guitar gleamed in anticipation. She snatched the other mic from it's stand and waved a hand as she talked. "Hi out there! I'm Hyrin, and this is Kem! Tonight we're gonna play for you 'Double Dear' a song i learned from a very special friend of mine!" She set the mic back, and the audience's noise dimmed with the lights. Hyrin grinned fangly. "Ready Kem?"

Kem smirked, black ears twitching and swiveling to catch the sounds of the crowd, and summoned a microphone out of nowhere (or from backstage), one of her many kitsune tricks. She swung the band around her back, and quickly tuned with Hyrin before they both tore into the guitar instrumental beginning.
Kem began singing first, Hyrin seemed preoccupied remembering something this song brought in her memory

Kem:

Sou kimi ga yokogao wo somuketara
*Kem glanced at the small girl, still in her thinking stage, but singing as if she could do it in her sleep*

Hyrin:

Mou boku wa kono karada wo kowashite
*Then she seemed to grow more confident, her eyes shining and voice lifting*
Kieyou inochizuna wo tachikitte
Yaku ni tatanai zetsubou!

The two raked their picks across the guitar strings and broke into the chorus, powerful and in perfect harmony.

Ame ni utaretemo
Honou ni kogareru
Kasukana akari ga yobu yo
Touzakaru daichi
Yokubou no tsubasa dake tsumibukai sora ni chitte
Naiteru yo

/// Flashback: "Nani? Shi, who are these guys?" "The ones we've been looking for, baka okami!" "Really? this is the Sanzo party we've come to help?" "Um, who are you guys anyways?" "I'm Ransa, the red head who led you here is Shi." "Yo!" "I'm Goyjo, and the priest with a stick up his ass is Sanzo." "*click* I'm going to kill you." "I'm Saisu, nice to meet you all." "The pleasure is mine, I'm Hakkai." "Wai! We finally meet up, my name is Hyrin!" "I'm Goku, Son Goku!" ///

Kem: *It was the kitsune's turn. She stepped forward and Hyrin took up the main guitar playing while she sung*
Mou boku ga hikari no DOA aketara
Nee kimi wa nigeteiku to omou kai?
Houtte okeba sugu ni kieteikuKeredo hoshigaru jiyuu!

Kem's deeper voice lifted across the dance club, to be joined by Hyrin's, their unison melody filling every square inch of the surreal plane of reality that seemed to exist as a dance club. Kem smiled slightly as she heard someone in the audience cheer, but hoped that no one would see it. They leapt in the air together and landed on the beat, playing their guitars like never before, the chorus swelling up again.

Aka ya aoi hana
Shinjitsu no iro ga
Gareki no naka de matteru
Kinu no you na sora
Itametsukerareta toki musuu no hata ga yure
Naiteru yo

Kem: Konran yo

Hyrin: Bunretsu yo

Kem: Senkoku wo kono yo ni

Kem: Taihai yo

Hyrin: Shinen yo

Hyrin: Kodoku sae waraou
Kem: Nemuru ga ii!

Then the instrumental began, it was soft at first, going into a full guitar solo by Hyrin, who agreed to let Kem have one in their next song. They never noticed all the amused and amazed people they new, or would come to know, watching in the audience.

/// Flashback: Kem was coasting along the slow streets of a more tropical city, goggled eyes scanning the streets. A vague conversation ... the one she had it with ...she couldn't remember. She wanted to find them again. again. ///

And the song came to the final round, picks jamming over the strings, the audience cheering, and two demonic girls playing their hearts out. They both cried out the last of the choruses into the mics, ending the song with a bang.

Aka ya aoi hana
Shinjitsu no iro ga
Gareki no naka de matteruKinu no you na sora
Itametsukerareta toki musuu no hata ga yure
Naiteru yo!

Kem: Konran yo

Hyrin: Bunretsu yo

Kem: Senkoku wo kono yo ni

Hyrin: Taihai yo

Kem: Shinen yo

Hyrin: Kodoku sae waraou

Hyrin: Nemuru ga ii!

The applause was a wall of sound that almost threw Hyrin and Kem back, the audience a sea of flashy and darker-toned blurs too blurred by the beams of blue and purple lights blazed into the stage and the constant flashes of cameras. Kem even thought she caught a glimpse of a fancy video camera for TV. "Lovely," she said, grinning at the audience and giving the peace sign after swinging her guitar over her back again. "Can we do a Pillows' song now? I can summon my bass for the kick-ass solo in "I think I can."

"All right! 'I think I can' it is!" Hyrin cried, raising her pick into the air in her fist and grinning fangly.

Kem snatched the microphone. "Me and Hyrin are gonna do a song by the unknown band "the pillows," if anyone's heard of them ... FLCL ring a bell? ... anywhoo, it's called "I Think I Can" and we hope ya like it." Kem's bass guitar faded into existence in her arms, and Hyrin strummed out the first guitar solo part to the song.

Hyrin: Nitemo nitsukanai
hutago no kimi
dôshitandai
kutsuhimo sae
modokeppa nashi no mama
uwa no sora

Kem: Machi kamaeteru HYENA no KISS
kanippatsu
dare no me ni mo
oyoso hukan ocirc na BET
tanoshi mitai na
Kem and Hyrin broke into the somewhat repetitive chorus:

I think I can
I think I can
I think I can

Hyrin: Hiru mo yoru mo nai
kuroi mori de
yucirc kan na CHAMELEON ga
suteta rashinban o
nira n de ta

Kem: Nani mo iwanaide
teteitta kimi
kantan na oki tegami wa
DOOR ni kizamaretetaI

They once again broke into the "I Think I Can" chorus, bass swelling with each repetition, then sweeping into the bass melody instrumental, edged by Hyrin's guitar.

Kem and Hyrin: Kake ga e no nai
yume o shicchatte
mocirc; zettai gomakasenai n d
anetemo sametemo kuri kaesu

I-C-A-N

For the third and last time, they both built the chorus up, then let Hyrin's guitar ebb it away. Just as the last note was fading into the roaring of the crowd:

///Flashback: "Take her with you for a while." "Baka okami?!?! no way in hell, Ransa." "It's very important that she goes with you on your trip. It's only going to be a month or two away Hyrin. You can handle that, can't you?"///

///Flashback: "Where are we going Kem?" "I guess just where ever..." "Where ever? No destination?" "That's right, no destination."///

Kem gave Hyrin and the audience an extremely Haruko-ish smile and swung the bass over her shoulder, high-fiving Hyrin and stepping into the welcoming cool of the slightly darker rest of the dance club. "Wanna drink?" They turned around to see Shi leaning on the wall, grinning and looking very self-satisfied, holding a pint of volatile-looking liquid.

"Shi!" "baka coal-head ... " "nice to see you too, baka okami." "OKAMI TTE UNA!" Kem sighed, and watched them slip back into the arguments that always left off when they went separate ways and sprung up again when they met. She grabbed Hyrin by the collar and followed Shi into another room of the dance club that was a lot of couches and armchairs and a fireplace, a strange contrast with the room it led from.

"Pwaha!" Hyrin suddenly put her hands on her hips, a smug look on her face. "Did you see us out there? We rocked!"

"I saw you ... you two've gotten a little better."

“A little?!" Kem and Saisu had to restrain Hyrin from biting off Shi's head. Ransa nodded in agreement with the half demon, angering Hyrin even more. "Yeah," The priestess closed one eye lazily. "You did pretty good, considering we weren't up there to cover you up when you messed."
"I don't think we messed," said Kem carefreely. [not a word, but you know what i mean] "I've been playing guitar for a long time ... as for bass ... I might have messed up, but I think you guys are being overly-critical, as always."

"Oh, we were talking about Hyrin." The two said at the same time, a look of indifference on their faces. Kem facefell, Hyrin snarled.

"What are you talking about? She did great ... one who learns from Kem-sama masters the guitar," said Kem, winking.

"You should've seen her on the trip when we played together." Shi smirked. "I couldn't hear fo weeks." Ransa shrugged "Hey! I wasn't that bad!" Hyrin scowled. "And at least I can sing!" "I'd have to say she HAS improved, Ransa." A new voice came from the back. "The okami has some skills." Another added. "Ch'" Snorted another. "Yay! now we can have a battle of the bands, Hyrin!" came another voice.

"Any battle where me and Hyrin are involved always ends in the other team being smacked into the ground," called Kem, but she was smiling, balancing her guitar over her shoulder now, turning around to see the four men standing in the closed off fireplace-room, looking out of place among the armchairs and old couches.

"Ah, Kem-san, I THOUGHT that was you when we almost had our jeep split in half by a guitar wielding vespa rider." Hakkai laughed, sitting down in a chair as well.

"I'm glad your able to laugh about it," said Sanzo darkly, causing Kem to double over with silent laughter. "I know you'll always recognize *me*, Hakkai." Hyrin rolled her eyes. "My so-called "guardian" is even more immature than me ..."

"And that's saying something, okami!" Goyjo said appearing next to the small demon and pushing her down with his hand on her head, then let go, causing her to stumble. As she regained herself, her hands in her hair, rubbing where he bopped her slightly with annoyance, he walked over and started conversing with Shi. "Keh." Hyrin pouted/scowled, then almost fell over again as an arm went over her shoulder. "Hey Hyrin, long time, ne?" Hyrin blinked up at her friend, then grinned fangly. "Yeah!" She agreed, closing her eyes in a smile, coming out from under his arm and they high-fived one another, clasping their hands in a sort of mix between a proper shake and a high five. Goku grinned back, meeting her grip strength for strength.

"Feh. There's just too many mature people in this world. We need the upper hand." But no one was listening; Goku and Hyrin in their little conversation, Shi and Goyjo in theirs, Hakkai just smiling ... as usual, and Sanzo squatting in the corner, casting evil looks around the room.

"-Oh yes i can!" Hyrin suddenly cried and tackled Goku, soon they were caught up in a little scrap of a fight. It was quite amusing, seeing as this happened all the time and no one really payed attention. So you have 7 adults talking normally and two small demon children fighting in the background...[yes, i am an insane writer, but now back to THE PLOT! Hyrin: There's a plot in this? Goku: News to me]

"How has your trip been?" asked Hakkai to Kem, who was watching Goku and Hyrin's fight out of the corner of her eyes. "The usual ... hunger pangs, whining ... all from her, mind you. We were traveling around a smaller city called Urarakelis doing nothing in particular ... you know, sleeping on the Vespa, in inns, grabbing a manga or some pocky or orange soda here and there ... it was actually quite fun. What've you guys been doing?”

"Well, we've been kicking out the last of the demon followers of Gough-mough in the west, helping a few people, yada yada yada. It's basically our journey west, but backwards." Saisu said, leaning against the back of the couch. The psychic closed her pink-red eyes for a second, then turned them to Hakkai. "I'm assuming that all the demons to the east are taken care of? probably went a lot faster with your hyper ass kicking demonic child with you." "Yeah," Hakkai agreed. "We finished just under a month. But I bet your journey was A LOT quieter." "Man...I don’t know...Shi started testing Ransa's limits with no kid to abuse..." They all chuckled to themselves.

post a comment

Date:	2003-12-04 21:21
Subject:	Scroll 2
Security:	Public
Mood:	productive
Music:	tank! -cowboy bebop

The morning came before either demon was ready for it. Neither of them spoke for a long while, trying to revive the feeling of the Kem's deep voice and the stars and the moonlight and the soft droning of the Vespa motor. On the very brink of the horizon buildings blurred into view, Kantou city. "Hey" said Kem quietly, gently nudging the still half-asleep Hyrin behind her with her shoulder blades. "We're almost there."

"Maaa..." Hyrin whined, rubbing one eye then closing them against the sun. The young demon buried her face into her jacket again as the sun brushed her eyes. "Not now, go away sun..." She grumbled, her short hair going at odd angles from the wind.

Kem looked down at the dashboard. "Only a few more minutes until we run out of gas ... we should make it though." Her face was as worried as it ever got, which is to say, not very. She was a very laid-back person, fully embracing a lifestyle involving as few responsibilities as possible. The lines disappeared as soon as she looked back up into the wind, heart full of the adrenalin. "I can't wait to see Shi and Ransa and Saisu again."

All there was in response was a grunt that sounded a lot like the words "Baka barbeque head." Causing Kem to burst into laughter despite the situation.

"Hey, don't worry Hyrin-chan. When we get into the city I’ll get you something with a lot of caffeine in it ... like coffee, only less disgusting," Kem said breezily, thinking of all the money people dropped on the ground in cities like Kantou. " ... I hear there’s a big casino in Kantou..." "last time ... you gambled off ... all our money..." Hyrin grumbled. "Yeah ... well, THIS time I have a secret weapon!" Kem held out her left leg over the desert sand dunes sweeping by. A gold anklet glimmered in the unwelcome sun.

Hyrin looked at it without any interest, then her eyes flew wide as she saw what it was. "Nani?! When did you find that?"

"Bought it. Got a magnet inside it, and the other magnets in a pair of my dice." Hyrin looked up, not getting it. "The magnets fixed so that the dice always land on an odd number."

Hyrin's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "So basically you're cheating..." She stated, then sighed. "I guess it's okay, we need the money, and most guys in there are too drunk to notice they're being robbed." Kem smirked at that. She'd trained Hyrin to pick pockets while she was playing cards. Hyrin had been okay at it before, just starting to be taught by Shi, but since Kem wasn't chasing after some demon king and getting attacked 24/7, they had more time to train. Now they got twice the money two times faster.

"Of course its okay! I only cheat against jerks who don’t deserve the money ... and it’s a much better way to earn money that *working* or something ... " Kem sighed, and put her hands behind her head, eyes closed. Her bare feet went up on the handlebars, guiding it along with unconscious expertise.

As the engine finally started to sputter and begin to die, the pair reached the edge of the town, a good mile away from where they were supposed to meet up with the rest of the Ransa party, had multiple bars for the picking and a good three hours till meeting.

"K'so! Now we have to walk ... oh well. To tell the truth, I've been wanting to get out for a walk more often. I'll get someone to fill up my Vespa for me ... hey you! you want a hundred yen? .... fine. I'll do it myself." Kem got up, stretched, then squatted down next to the side of the Vespa, opening the gas gauge. "I'll just hafta walk it to the next gas station. Hyrin, you remember the name of the bar where we were supposed to meet the Ransa party? hm?"

"Hai, the Silver Lining Bar." Hyrin nodded, her legs thrown over the side of the Vespa seat as she looked down at Kem. People walking by stopped and stared at the odd girls in the middle of the road, with their odd bike and their odd demonic features.

They did stand out: the slightly taller one with the kitsune features, the brown-red tail with the white tip and the black inu ears, and the okami beside her. The first one was wearing a red halter top with a yin-yang on the front, a sailor-uniform blue skirt ["because that idiot porter lost all my ****** luggage"] and no shoes.

The latter was wearing a white turtle neck with an odd, scarf like fabric, blue w/ black stripes outlining it, coming down from her shoulder to be tucked into her belt. The scarf kept coming down after the belt to come to about right after her knee and end in a point. This also ochered on her back. With that she had on a pair of blue jeans, worn and faded. She too was barefooted, her boots in hand as she hopped off the bike. the only true sign of her demonic origin was a gold power limiter clamped around her wrist and her unusual fangs.

Kem just smiled at the people who looked, scaring them more with her fangs than actually making a good impression. "Here it is!" proclaimed Kem, slamming down her guitar into the ground in front of The Silver-Lining Bar as if it were a flag and her an explorer claiming the land. "I *think* i have some money left ... " as her older companion dug around in her pockets for change, Hyrin stepped up onto the stoop of the slightly grungy bar, head cocked slightly as if tuned into a radio that only existed to her.

Without waiting, Hyrin walked into the bar, Kem completely oblivious as she dug through her many pockets (how so many fit in that one skirt, i don’t know 0.o). It was obvious that Shi had chosen the meeting place because it definitely wasn't age appropriate for her. Hyrin scowled, waving a hand in front of her nose to ward off the smell of cigarettes. She missed a few men eyeing her because she was preoccupied stepping out of the way of a fainting drunk. She rolled her eyes, stepped over the man, and continued through the dim bar. With all the booze smell and smoke in the air, her sense of smell was cut off, leaving her unable to find her friends if they were in there.

Kem theatrically pulled out at least five hundred coins and a few paper bills out of her many many pockets, a look of triumph sinking into her face. That triumph dissolved as she looked around to see that Hyrin was no longer there. Her gold eyes whipped around the street frantically, finally setting on the grimy bar right in front of her. "K'so! There’s no telling what might happen to her if Shi and Ransa and Saisu isn't there ..." but an memory of Hyrin knocking an attacker unconscious somewhat soothed her worry. "Tsk tsk." Kem sauntered inside, almost blown back by all the cigarette smoke. "Bleah! HYRIN?!"

Hyrin shoved around another drunk as she made her way to the bar itself. Once arriving, many men made cat calls and leaned over, trying to act cool around her. Hyrin scowled again and closed her eyes in annoyance. "I'll have you know i have no interest for guys who get their selves in stupors all the time, plus, I’m too young for you, perv." She stated, throwing in some interesting vocab she obviously learned in her fights with Shi or watching Goku and Goyjo argue when they had been traveling together a good year ago. She shoved the man off his chair with one push, then stood up on it and onto the bar. Kem gapped at her as the wolf demon called for everyone's attention. "Hopefully not ALL of you in here are too drunk to understand what i’m saying. I'm looking for my friends. Shi, if you're in here this isn't funny!" she proceeded in making threats to her friends and asking if anyone had seen them. Kem just stared in shock.

Kem walked over to her, free of worry for the drunk pervs because of Hyrin's proclamation. "I think that's Shi over there," she said lowly, pointing at a red-haired girl playing cards on a table in the corner. As if thru some sixth sense, Shi turned her head from her fan of cards to wave to them.

"Hyrin! Kem! I'll be done in just a sec."

"You'd better," grumbled Hyrin, settling into a disgruntled pose.

The young demon bounded over to stand next to Shi, looking at her cards. "Hmm...nice." She stated, then looked over at Kem who was next to her. The older demon nodded in agreement. "Time to call." Hyrin stated fully and in a confidant tone. Shi stared at her, eyes narrowed in thought, then shrugged.

"What the hell..." The half demon through down her cards.

Her opponent, whose face had been so cocky before, fell as his eyes fell upon Shi's cards. "I'll take all of this," said Shi smugly through a smirk, embracing pile of money and dragging it over to her side of the table. "Sooo .... how's it been out on the desert? I never get out there too much ... Kem ... you didn't smash anyone with that thing again did you?" on "that thing" Shi gestured to the guitar slung over Kem's back.

Hehehe....want a drink?"

"That means yes." Shi finished dumping all the money into a huge sac and got up and stretched, much to the attention of the drunks.

She smirked and punched Hyrin lightly on the cheek. "Long time no see, baka okami." "Okami tte una!" Hyrin cried, stomping her foot. "You've gotten taller...again..." Shi noted, her hand hovering just above Hyrin's head, measuring her. Hyrin replied by sticking out her tongue.

"Dare I ask why you wanted us to meet here, of all places?" drawled Kem, leaning against the grungy wall, knowing the answer already. Kem hated the smell of smoke; she had always hated it, and she always would. She liked alcohol sometimes [like once a month] but the smell of it lingering in the air, biting into her keen nose. "Can't say much for its environmental values."

"Heh." Shi smirked, and winked. "The drunker they are, the harder they fall." Hyrin got an annoyed look on her face and sweatdropped.

"And I wondered why i knew every betting game there was one month after the mission for Gyough-mough started..." The wolf demon grumbled, and her half-demon friend made an amused grunt. "Now can we please leave before i die from 2nd hand smoking?"

"Fine. ch' whinny okami..."

"Wanna say something to my face, baka coal head?!"

“You trying to threaten me, asshole?!"

"If you weren't so damn slow, maybe you would've figured it out by now!"

"That's it I'm so kicking your ass."

"Like to see ya try, shit head barbeque brains!"

"...BARBEQUE BRAINS?! Well THAT'S a new one!"

"Plenty more where that came from!"

[pleaz excuse the language in this RP, but saying as there are more dire situations and many arguments to come, expect a lot of it....thank you! ^-^]

Kem just stayed there, foot leaning against the wall, rolling her mismatched eyes as the argument stormed on, gaining more and more "creativity" as it did. Kem herself never really swore too much, but found it extremely annoying when people 1. Over swore to impress people, or 2. Condemned swearing as an act of the devil. Nevertheless, she had learned that it was *much* easier just to stay out and wait for it to die down that get involved herself...that usually induced clobbering to the head. For about ten minutes she leaned there, checking her watch ever so often, until she shouted "TIMES UP!," startling Shi and Hyrin so much as to make Shi accidentally collapse the folding chair, ending up in a tangled mess of appendages and steel bars on the floor, much to the amusement of Hyrin.

Her amusement was short lived, however, as Shi, who immediately blamed it on the smaller girl, chased her out of the bar. Kem quietly fallowed, calmly stepping over men who had gotten in the pair's way as they dashed for the door.

Shi and Hyrin stomped out, still arguing with each other, not taking notice of anything but her opponent in insultry [is that a word?!?] Kem's eyes swept the dusty road lazily, then shot wide as she realized that her Vespa wasn't there. She leaped in a great show of demonic abilities, and whipped her head around, finally stopping as she saw the blue moped turn around a bend in the road. "THAT ASSHOLE STOLE MY VESPA!" she screamed, and leapt demonically over the road, leaving the confused Hyrin and amused Shi in her wake.

"NANI?!" Hyrin yelped and gave chase as well, Shi not far behind. They ran tirelessly through the streets after the vehicle until they found it and it's stealer in a wide alleyway. The Vespa was parked neatly to the side and the criminal was leaning on the vehicle, their arms crossed lazily. They wore slightly familiar clothing, but Kem gave no mind. Being the first to arrive, having a head start on the others, the ½ kitsune pointed at the person.

"Give me back the vespa, and i wont kill you." She hissed. The mouth of the stealer rose into a smirk, sort of an amused half smile. The rest of their face was hidden behind a black biker helmet. Hyrin landed almost silently next to Kem, eyeing their opponent and Shi stood to the side, an almost...knowing look on her face with a splash of hidden amusement.

"Oh, really, Miss Kem?" Two hands came up and pulled off the helmet, long pale blonde hair fell free.

"Do you think you can do that... to an old friend?" A pair of pink/red eyes smiled warmly at the shocked two behind a pair of thin framed, rectangle glasses (like yours, mytsu, what ever they are, please delete my description if you remember their name). Hyrin was the first to shake out of her stupor.

"Saisu!" She bounded to her old friend and hugged her. "How the hell did you learn how to steal a bike?" she cried. Saisu grinned mysteriously and didn't answer, figures.

Kem grinned, then, remembering to act pissed off, grumbled and crossed her arms. "You really made me think that some one *actually* stole my Vespa." The two just stared at each other for a few moments, until Kem put her hands on her knees and half-squatted, and through a huge grin, gushed, "And no one but YOU could have done it so well!" Saisu facefell.

A "Kyuu!" sounded and Hyrin looked over her shoulder to see a very familiar figure standing next to a black motorcycle and a red jeep. A very familiar figure with long black hair, wearing priestess's robes and a very annoyed look on her face, arms folded. "Ransaaaaaa!" Hyrin laughed, running over to her guardian. The young child was about to hug the priestess when...WHACK! "Ittaaaa!" Hyrin clutched her head. "What was that for?!" She yelped from the ground, tears of pain in her eyes.

"..." Ransa stayed poised with her fan above her head for a few moments, then slipped it back into her magical sleeves that hold stuff. "I'm punishing you for all the annoyance you probably caused Kem on that little trip of yours."

"Nice way to catch up..." Hyrin moaned from the ground, receiving another whack.

"Oh...my..." Saisu chuckled weakly, tapping her forefinger to her cheek.

"Ransa is the most violent priestess I've ever met..." Kem said as she and Shi sweatdropped.

"Hehe....hey, Ransa!" shouted Kem, eyes closed, hands hanging towards the ground, chibi. Ransa looked over, and her bleak expression warmed a little at seeing Kem again. "I hope that this child hasn't been a burden to you on your trip," Ransa said quietly but firmly, shooting a glance at Hyrin as she said "child." "Oh, noooo. Except for the constant 'Keeeeeeeeeemm...i’m hungryyyy"'s its all fine and dandy. And how have YOU been?"

"We've been-" Ransa stopped as her sleeve was pulled suddenly, and she looked down at the only culprit. "What NOW?!"

"I don't think that I have to be psychic like Saisu to know..." whispered Shi to Kem, who nodded approvingly.

"Erm..Ransa...Harrahetta..." WHACK! [btw, "harrahetta" means "i’m hungry]

"If it weren't for the infinite abyss that pretends to be your stomach I WOULD feed you, but now I know better," chastised Ransa smoothly, sliding her fan shut with an oddly satisfying *snap*

Hyrin opened her mouth to retort, closed in, thought, opened it again, then closed it again. Finally, she crossed her arms with a 'Hmmf!" and pouted. Saisu decided then to step in.

"Now that we're all happily together, let's head out, the surprise wont wait long..." everyone looked at her in confusion, while Hyrin leapt up, a big grin on her face, at the word of 'Surprise'. "A surprise? What is it Sai-Onee-san? Huhhuhhuhhuh?"

Saisu got back on the Vespa and revved up the engine. Kem stared blankly at it for a few seconds, then with regarding contemplation. "When I came into the city, there was practically no gas left. How did you --?" Saisu just smiled.

"Wai! Road trip! Just like old times!" Hyrin cried, throwing a fist into the air. Shi smiled to herself as the chibi okami bounded to the jeep and bike, petting them and greeting the two transformed dragons. "So, Shi, how does Takan ride?" Hyrin was referring to the motorcycle, which really was a dragon she'd found, but, seeing as she couldn't drive yet and no one was willing, or daring, to teach her, the bike was temporarily Shi's.

"It seems like you, in a way."
"Which would mean...?"
"It's always running out of gas and crying for more."

"Oh, haha..." Hyrin snorted, then muttered something to the bike that sounded very much like 'good girl!' then she climbed into the red jeep the four had held so many adventures in. "Well...Forward into the unknown!" Hyrin cried, grinning fangly at the same exact phrase she'd said the last time they'd climbed into this jeep for an adventure. Everyone had to laugh, even Ransa cracked a smile, then everyone climbed onto their respected vehicle, Takan taking a break in the jeep with the four while Kem rode on her Vespa, and the statement came true. Forward into the unknown.

1 comment | post a comment

Date:	2003-12-02 22:57
Subject:	Scroll One [let the bizarre-ness begin!]
Security:	Public
Mood:	creative
Music:	Hybrid Rainbows -The Pillows

Kem's half-lidded gaze rotated around the sun-scorched desert, waiting and watching for that cloud of dust to sail across the dull horizon. Sweat trickled down her suntanned face, and she could feel Hyrin's uncomfortable-ness behind her.

Hyrin moaned. "Keeeeem..." She banged her head against the driver's back to get her attention. "It's so hot out here, why do we have to sit in this stinking desert? And I’m hungry..." She whined, her eyes pleading behind a pair of too big orange tinted goggles. She shifted on the seat and looked up at the older girl as she turned to look at Hyrin.

"I'm waiting for something." A humid wind picked up the sand and billowed it thru the sky, glittering gold in the scorching sun. "I'm not leaving until I find it. There’s some pork buns under the Vespa seat."

Hyrin scowled, but pulled out a meatbun and began eating it. The wind acted up again and the small demon buried her nose and mouth into the high collar of her jacket that Kem insisted she wore even in the intense heat. She wrapped her hands, meanbun eaten by now, around herself and made a small unhappy sound as a blast of sand hit her cheek. "What are we waiting for?" She cried, getting some sand in her mouth in the process.

Kem looked back at her, mismatched eyes grinning mischievously under blue tinted motorcycle goggles. Her evil grin revealed unnaturally white teeth and her two fangs, glinting in the never-relenting sun. Without looking back, she pointed at a small puff of churned -up desert sand sailing across the desert horizon. "That." Kem violently snapped her hand on the accelerator on the right handlebar and the two demons felt the force of Newton’s first law push them back before the Vespa zoomed off down the desert with incredible speed.

Hyrin yelped and grabbed at Kem as the sudden acceleration nearly threw her off the vespa. She buried her fingers into the baggy coat the other wore and clung for dear life. The sand and wind bite at her bare skin, so unused to the conditions at this speed on a vespa. The white scarf ties around her neck blew behind her and snapped from side to side like an impatient tiger's tail. Kem obviously knew where she was going, but the ride was merely oblivion to Hyrin, trusting the other's skill completely and preying they wouldn't crash.

Kem narrowed her eyes needlessly behind her blue-tinted goggles, focusing on that small cloud of dust ahead of them. Forcing the motorbike into full throttle, she switched it into auto-pilot and slowly got up to stand on the vespa seat, hyrin slightly panicking behind her. "Keemm....what the hell are you DOING?!?!" Kem looked over her shoulder at the younger demon and smiled that smile that said quite clearly that something dangerous was going to happen.

"What i do best." Kem unslung her guitar and wielded above her head, grinning at that cloud of dust thirty yards ahead with the crave for danger playing across her tanned face.

The sand whizzed past as the Vespa made its way over dunes to the moving cloud. As the two clouds met, the one hidden by the other could clearly see the two young girls, one standing up, wielding a guitar, a manic grin on her face and another sitting on the seat, her hands behind her grabbing at the backing of the seat for balance, a worried, yet excited look on her face. Kem jumped from her Vespa, leaving Hyrin scrambling for the handlebars, shooting strait up into the air, snapping the guitar downwards in a single sweeping motion. She landed with it on a sand dune, and at that moment all sound immediately stopped. She'd missed the Jeep by two feet.

Hyrin yelped as she grappled with the handlebars, turning the vespa to the side and hitting the brakes, sending up a wave of sand as the vehicle slid over the ground. When it finally came to a stop, Hyrin pushed her goggles up, her eyes wide and panicked, and she whipped off a thin layer of sweat on her face with the back of her hand. Once she regained herself and the adrenalin wore down, the wolf demon marched over to her partner, standing where she landed, the wind pulling at both of them, sending sand clouds dancing over the otherwise still land. "What the HELL were you thinking?!" She cried suddenly, throwing up her hands, a pair of fangs showing as she yelled. "You could give me a little more warning before you give me the d@mn wheel!"

"There's no steering wheel on a Vespa, baka okami!"
" ... "
"Well ... heh...i guess I owe you guys an apology. I thought you were ... someone else."
"Which is ... why you tried to smash us with your um ..?"
"Stratocaster."
Hyrin scowled at Kem "Okami tte una!" She muttered, rubbing the back of her neck. The group they'd run into was a group of men. They were all riding in a green jeep much like Saisu's, accept Saisu's was red. The one driving was a brown haired man with a monocle, he was smiling nervously and trying to laugh at the situation. The guy next to him was blonde, was obviously a Sanzo 'cause he hand a scripture like Ransa, and he just looked plain ticked off at the world. The two in the back were both wide eyed, obviously they had been more freaked out them the other two. One was smaller then the others and had brown hair, gold eyes, and a golden coronet limiter around his head. The other was the tallest, he had crimson hair and eyes, like Shi, marking him as a half demon. "Who..who the hell are you two?" The driver asked, a bewildered tone in his voice as they stared back at Hyrin and Kem.

"Why, I am Kem the Monsoon! Yes, the girl who commits evil deeds with the price of $$60,000,000,000 on her head! At your service!" Kem took a deep showy bow, not noticing Hyrin's huge eye rolling.

The small demon then stepped forth. "I'm Hyrin." she said simply. "I apologize for stopping you." She glared at Kem out of the corner of her eye. "It seems that the desert sun has roasted more then our skin..."

Kem fake-smiled, sweat dropping. "I thought your jeep was a motorcycle belonging to ... oh never mind." She whipped around, sauntering back to her Vespa. The men in the jeep stared blankly after her, all of them [except Sanzo, of course] arching an eyebrow. "what a strange girl ... "

It seemed that was the usual talk of the older girl, 'cause Hyrin made no comment about it. As she walked away, Sanzo looked up and his eyes narrowed. "Hey, kid." Hyrin heard a gruff voice hiss, she turned to look over her shoulder. The jeeps was gone, and all the men where standing, in the place of the vehicle was a small white dragon. "Nani?" Hyrin asked, blinking once. She turned her body so she was half way facing them, just looking at them over her shoulder was beginning to hurt her neck. "You're a demon, right..." "..." Hyrin didn't know what to say to that. "...hai hai..." she nodded slowly.

Kem coasted along with her feet on the vespa until she was next to Hyrin. "Hey, don’t forget me! Two rurouni youkai wandering the desert in the vespa ... make for a great manga, wouldn't it?" She slid off the seat and squatted next to the siding of the back wheel, studying it carefully. A yinyang was painted expertly there, twin to the one on the front. "Nope, no scratches...." she muttered, more to herself that to Hyrin or the four men.

Hyrin nodded, ignoring the men for a moment. "Hai, that's good." she then turned to face them. "Yeah, we're both demons, but we're under the protection of the Merciful Goddess."
Kem gestured to her white doggy ears that were pierced in three places for small silver bands. Heh, completely ignoring me as usual thought Kem, as she swept her fingers over the glossy metal. She stood up to her full height and mounted the Vespa, waving to the Jeep full of people who thought she was insane. "Well, it was nice meetin' ya." She turned to Hyrin. "Huh?
Coming?"
"Yeah...right." Hyrin nodded, walking to the vespa, yet her gaze was still on the group. She hadn't gotten to close, but from the distance and with the heat playing with her mind and vision, it seemed like it was the Sanzo Party, but they left right after the defeat of Gough-mough. The wolf demon shook her head, and pushed her goggles over her eyes again. Whatever, she'd forget about them again after they got to town and met up with Ransa and the others. Hyrin smiled to herself as she climbed onto the back of the vespa. She hadn't seen her old group in the two month she'd been traveling with Kem.

Kem smiled fangedly again, and just after Hyrin had settled onto the Vespa seat behind her she slammed the acceleration and zoomed off into the desert, but not before shouted "sayonara!" to the group of stunned men. Another four people in the world now think I'm insane! ... oh well.

The ride into town was long, only ending when the stars had splattered over the sky and the moon had risen from her long rest on the other side of the world to fall asleep in the skies above. Kem drove endlessly, the blurrrrr of the motor echoing endlessly through the serenity of a resting, cool desert.

Kem turned on the radio [another plus of being a mechanic --- you can custom install stuff!] and switched around, grimacing at the ugly pop and screaming death metal, until she found somewhere that played a song by her favorite artist. She turned it low, looking back at the sleeping Hyrin sharing the Vespa seat with her. Her lips moved with the lyrics, slowly bending into a real smile, unlike her maniac and fake ones. Her voice, oddly deep when singing, crooned out "But did you know, that when it snows, my eyes become alive and the light that you shine can't be seen." She raised her eyes to the star splattered sky, and took off her goggles, lifting them up onto her helmet. "i compare you to a kiss from a rose ... hehe...i love this song."

All the one behind her did in response was sigh softly and wrap her jacket around her tighter. The silent world was Kem audience as they drove through the wide expanse of nothingness, singing out the lyrics to the soft song.