Of Love and Roses - Ch. 8
Title: Of Love and Roses
Chapter: 8
Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho, Sailor Moon
Character(s): Kurama, Chiba Mamoru, Tsukino Usagi, Aino Minako
Genre: Romance, drama, friendship
Rating: K+/PG
Disclaimers: Sailor Moon © Naoko Takeuchi, Yu Yu Hakusho © Yoshihiro Togashi
Notes: I had this idea one day when I was looking through one of my old crossovers, and I remembered a picture I saw of Yusuke and Usagi getting married, in honor of Yoshihiro Togashi and Naoko Takeuchi's marriage. But as cute as that was, it didn't feel right since Yusuke and Usagi both have people who they love. So after thinking about which characters would work well and unite the two universes, I decided to pair my two favorite characters from each. Enjoy.
Summary: "A floral symbol sacred to Venus and signifying love, the quality and nature of which was characterized by the color of the rose." ~ The Dictionary of Christian Art
[Chapter 7]
~*~*~*~
"Minako-chan's birthday is coming up soon..."
Kurama looked up at Mamoru who, despite speaking, kept his eyes in the book in front of him. The two of them were sitting in the university library studying for their respective courses, and the other's words were the first spoken in almost an hour. But what was said was even more surprising.
"Pardon?" he finally replied, unsure if he'd heard right, though he knew he wasn't wrong.
Mamoru slowly turned a page of his book. "Minako-chan. Her birthday is coming up soon."
Kurama watched his neighbor for a moment before returning to his book. "Is that so?"
"Yeah. Usa-ko and the others are throwing her a surprise party."
"That sounds like fun."
Mamoru paused then, as though unsure of the right words to say. "Usa-ko...wanted me to invite you to the party."
Kurama looked up again, this time meeting the dark blue eyes that studied him as Marmoru waited for some kind of answer. The redhead knew that while Mamoru didn't completely mind that he spent so much time with the girls, the other man was also a little wary of why he did so. Especially since he noticed Kurama only spent time with that particular group, and none of his other students. His dark-haired neighbor already seemed to suspect him of something, and spending all his free time with the civilian forms of the Sailor Senshi didn't seem to help.
Kurama did his best to seem as nonthreatening as possible, but Mamoru, though continued to act courteous, still seemed a little suspicious of him. So Kurama just kept trying.
"Why is Tsukino-san asking me to come to Aino-san's birthday party?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
Mamoru closed his book and placed it aside. "She thinks that Minako-chan would have a better birthday if you could be there."
Kurama thought for a moment. Meeting the girls in public for a small outing was one thing, but he knew how risky it would be if others learned that he was attending a student's private birthday party. "Would you also be going?"
"Well normally I wouldn't, because this kind of thing is usually something just for the girls. But if you decided to go, then I would too, just to keep things safe."
Kurama nodded. "And where would it be at?"
"I suggested Rei-chan's temple, if you wanted to go. It's in an area private enough that not many people would notice you, so it should be all right."
"I see..." Kurama replied thoughtfully. It was a good idea to have the party in a remote area where not many people would see him with the girls. And since Rei was technically not one of his students, it didn't matter too much that he was at her home. The only problem was being at the temple with Rei, who also was very suspicious of him. It shouldn't have been a big problem, but there was a chance that being at the temple would enhance the Miko's powers, and she would sense more of his youki.
Well...he would just have to be more careful.
"I think I would like to go," he said after a while.
"Really?" Mamoru asked, trying to sound casual, but looking at him with suspicious concern.
Kurama nodded, reaching into his school bag and pulling a book out. "I wouldn't mind going if it would make Aino-san happy. It might be a nice way to return the favor, since she gave me a present for my birthday some weeks ago." He passed the book, his encyclopedia of magical creatures, to Mamoru to show him.
The dark-haired man took the book and looked at the cover. "This is the gift she gave you?"
"That's right. It's an interesting book, and it's about one of my favorite topics. So I would like to do something as special for Aino-san's birthday if I can."
Mamoru nodded and handed the book back. The explanation seemed to satisfy him, at least for the moment. "Usa-ko says they're planning to have the party sometime next week, on Minako-chan's actual birthday."
"That might give me some time to find a suitable present," Kurama commented idly, placing his encyclopedia under his textbook. "But I'm not too sure what Aino-san is interested in. What would be a good present for her?"
Mamoru frowned, looking a little uncomfortable. "I might be the wrong person to ask. I don't really know what she likes."
Kurama tapped the table with a pen as he tried to think. He knew Minako liked manga and volleyball, but he wasn't sure if he could find a present special enough that related to either one of those things.
"Well," Mamoru said suddenly, pulling Kurama from his thoughts, "I might know someone who could help you..."
"Oh, look at those!" Usagi exclaimed, pressing her face against the glass of the clothes store as they passed. "Minako-chan would look so pretty in that!"
Kurama and Mamoru stood back a bit as they watched her, keeping a safe distance from the girl so curious people who looked at her wouldn't know they were with her. "Is this really the best way to do this?" Kurama wondered, glancing at his neighbor.
Mamoru chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Usa-ko would probably know more about the kinds of things Minako-chan likes. So she could help you find a suitable gift."
Usagi suddenly gave an excited shriek, and the two men looked to see she had passed to a different store. "Look at that!" she said. "That looks great!"
The redhead laughed suddenly. "Maybe I'm not the one she's helping look for gifts," he quipped. Then he laughed again as Mamoru blushed slightly, but he politely looked away.
The two went to catch up to the girl, following behind her as she continued to point out things that Minako might like (though she kept looking at Mamoru with hopeful eyes, Kurama noticed). But Kurama wasn't sure if any of the items were good enough to give Minako for her birthday. He wanted to give her something different, something really special for her birthday...but as he realized that, he began to wonder why it mattered so much.
He didn't have much time to dwell on that thought, however, as a surprised gasp snapped him out of his musing. "Minako-chan!"
"Hey, Usagi-chan!" Kurama looked up to see Minako standing at the curb of the street, looking as though she had just turned the corner when Usagi did. Slowly, he and Mamoru made their way towards them.
"Good morning, Aino-san," Kurama greeted her casually. He should have guessed with his luck that this would happen some time during the day.
"Morning, Minamino-sensei!" she replied cheerfully. Then, to be respectful, she turned to the dark-haired man and added, "Morning, Mamoru-san."
Mamoru nodded. "Morning."
Glancing between the two guys and Usagi, Minako then blinked curiously. "What's going on?" she asked the dumpling-haired girl, with a brief glance at the redhead.
"Oh...um..." Usagi floundered, scratching her head nervously. She knew she couldn't tell Minako what they were really up to, but she couldn't think of an excuse.
Noticing this, Kurama cleared his throat. "Chiba-san and I were just walking around when we bumped into Tsukino-san," he said.
"Uh, yeah!" Usagi piped in as she caught on. "When I heard they were coming here, I wanted to go too!"
Minako frowned slightly, and Kurama knew that she was a little suspicious, because she realized that it was the same kind of excuse they used when he was hanging out with them. But since she didn't know that he knew about her birthday, she didn't have any other explanation for it.
"That's cool," Minako finally said, a smile slowly appearing on her face. "Mind if I tag along?"
Usagi and Mamoru briefly glanced at Kurama, but he retained his calm. "You sure you'd like to?" he asked. "I'm just doing a little shopping, it's not likely going to be interesting."
Minako laughed. "Are you kidding me? Please! I'm a girl, remember? I love shopping!"
Kurama chuckled softly. "I suppose..."
"Besides," she added, a mischievous glint in her sapphire eyes, "how's it suppose to look with two guys in college hanging out with one innocent high school girl? If anything, you need me to come along to at least even things out and make it look less weird."
The redhead considered this for a moment. "Actually, Aino-san, you're absolutely right. That would probably be for the best."
With a triumphant grin, Minako then grabbed Usagi's hand. "C'mon, let's take a look around!" she said, and the other blonde was all too eager to agree.
The two guys followed them at a slower pace, and when the girls were a safe distance away, Mamoru turned to Kurama. "Are you sure this is okay?" he asked.
Kurama nodded. "It should be fine."
"It'll be harder to get a present for her with her here, though."
"Well, it'd be harder to buy it." Kurama smiled. "But what better way to to find out what she likes than to hear her say it herself? Besides, with Tsukino-san here, it should keep her distracted enough so she won't notice me making a note of the things she wants, and I can always come back to buy it later."
Thinking for a moment, Mamoru nodded. "Or Usa-ko and I can distract her and take her somewhere else so you can come back and get whatever it is she wants."
Kurama nodded as well. "That might work too."
As they neared the spot where the girls stood waiting for them, the door of a nearby store opened, and a girl stepped out, sweeping some dust out with a broom. She had short brown hair, tied back with a green bow, and a white smock on that covered her clothes, signifying that she was working at the store. Kurama blinked, surprised to see that he recognized her as a student from one of his classes.
"Naru-chan!" Usagi suddenly called, running up to the brunette.
"Hey, Usagi-chan!" Naru replied. Seeing the other blonde, she smiled. "Hi, Minako-chan."
"Hey, Naru-chan," Minako greeted.
Kurama and Mamoru slowed a little more, keeping back a bit away from the girls to let them talk amongst themselves, but still close enough to hear the conversation.
"Are you helping your mom today, Naru-chan?" Usagi asked.
The brunette nodded. "Yeah. She's been pretty busy lately, since she just got a new shipment of jewelry in. So I'm helping out a little."
"New jewelry?" Minako said curiously. "Like what?"
"Just a set from that new 'Teardrop' collection, you know?"
"Oh, I've heard of that collection! With those pretty yellow jewels?"
Naru nodded. "Those are the ones. And this is the first time we're selling any of them here, so mom's a little worried that people won't buy them."
"Yeah, I heard those Teardrop jewelry are really expensive, right?" Usagi said.
"They are. They actually used to be a lot more expensive because they were only sold on the black market just a few years ago, but the price dropped a bit when they became more mainstream. But they're still really expensive."
"I bet they're really pretty, huh?" Minako asked, her tone a little wistful.
"They really are," Naru confirmed, switching the broom to her other hand. "Well, I've got to help my mom set up a few more things. But if you want to take a look at some of the Teardrop stuff, we've got some on display at the window."
"Okay. Thanks, Naru-chan!" Usagi said, waving as the brunette headed back inside. Then she and Minako peered into the store at the jewelry on display and immediately began giggling and 'oooh'-ing and 'aww'-ing over them.
Slowly, quietly, Kurama came up behind the girls to look at the jewelry over their shoulders, even though he already knew what jewels they were speaking of. It always surprised him how Yukina continued to come up with new designs to showcase her teargems and sell them as jewelry. But he was even more surprised that they had become as popular so far from home.
A few months after living with the Kuwabara family, Yukina had started selling her teargems because she felt bad about living there and not being able to contribute for finances. So, despite Kuwabara and Hiei's protests, and with the help of Kuwabara's father, Kuwabara Senior, she used her teargems to make jewelry and sold them to stores so they could be purchased by others. Some stores even bought the plain teargems to fashion the jewelry themselves. As Naru said before, though, the price of the teargems had lessened as the gems became more popular in circulation, but they still fetched for a good price, which Yukina and Kuwabara Senior secretly saved for Kuwabara's college tuition (if the teen knew, Kurama was sure he would refuse take it).
He then glanced at the two girls, who continued whispering about the jewelry. "Ugh, they're so pretty!" Minako exclaimed, some frustration in her longing.
"That's usually a good thing," Kurama quipped.
"Well, not if I can't afford it!" she argued, but she glanced at him with a playful smile.
Kurama glanced at the window display, looking as the sun glittered against the pale yellow stones. "Do you like this particular kind of jewelry, Aino-san?"
She giggled. "Well, I like most jewelry, really. But it's such a pretty yellow color."
"Oh? Is yellow your favorite color?"
Minako nodded. "Yeah. That and red."
"Ah. I see."
Nodding again, Minako sighed and turned back to the display. "Man, I would love to have something this pretty!"
"Me too!" Usagi agreed, glancing back at Mamoru.
The dark-haired man cleared his throat as he shifted his weight onto one foot. "We should get going," he murmured.
"Aww!" the girls whined. "Do we have to go now?"
"Probably," Kurama replied, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Besides, staring at the display all day isn't going to help you buy the jewelry, right? So you should break it off now before you get too attached."
The two girls sighed, glancing longingly at the Teardrop jewelry one last time before slowly following the two guys down the street.
Glancing back at the two and seeing they were a good distance back, Kurama then frowned thoughtfully and pulled out his cellphone. "That might do," he said softly, punching in some keys.
"What?" Mamoru said, looking at the other. "You're not thinking of getting her that, are you? It seems a bit expensive."
"Oh don't worry," Kurama replied with a small smile as he put his phone away. "There's no way I'd ever be able to afford to buy something like that."
Just then, all humor drained from his face as a familiar chill ran down his spine, so sudden and unexpected that he stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, trying to determine where the feeling originated, but the sensation was gone as quickly as it came, and nothing out of the ordinary caught his eye.
"Are you all right?" he heard Mamoru ask beside him. But he didn't answer for a moment, his eyes still scanning the city street around him.
"Minamino-sensei?" Minako questioned softly, and he glanced at the girl, meeting her concerned blue eyes.
"I'm...all right," he finally replied, trying to shake off the feeling. "I just...thought I heard someone call my name."
"You seem a bit shaken up, though," Mamoru said, taking a step towards him as medical instincts began to kick in. "You sure you're okay?"
Kurama nodded. "I'm fine...really. Anyway, we should be going." With that, he turned away from the others and started to head down the street once again.
He felt the others hesitate slightly before moving to follow him, obviously still concerned by his abrupt change in demeanor. But he couldn't tell them what had really happened...he couldn't let them know the feeling he'd had.
It was an all-too familiar sense of a being unlike the regular humans within the city. And while he hoped it was nothing to worry about, he knew he was not mistaken.
He knew now...that he was not the only demon in Tokyo.
Minako sighed softly as she finally reached the top of the long flight of stairs, looking at the temple grounds curiously. "I wonder why Usagi-chan wanted us to meet here so suddenly. Hopefully everything's okay..." Then she sighed. "Though if she's having a crisis, I wish it could wait until after my birthday..."
So far, her birthday had been less than special, especially when it started with waking up a little late and getting yelled at by her mother. By some miracle, she had made it to school on time, but on a day when Minamino-sensei wasn't teaching there was hardly a point. And though the girls had remembered her birthday and were nice enough to greet her, they were all too busy to do anything to celebrate with her.
She had convinced herself that it was okay though, because she was bound to see Minamino-sensei sometime, and if she told him it was her birthday, maybe he would do something nice for her. She was sure that he'd spend some time with her, at least. Unfortunately, she never even saw him, and after a while she gave up and just went home, where she attempted to do some homework and hung out with Artemis until Usagi called and urgently asked her to come to Rei's temple. She didn't say why or explain what was going on, but she simply said that it was important.
"Of course," Minako said to herself thoughtfully, slowly making her way to the room they always met in when at the temple, "the girls could be throwing a surprise party for me, which is why they all bailed on me earlier. But if that's the case, it's not much of a surprise now...But at least there'll be presents. So I guess it's not too bad."
Standing in front of the door, Minako hesitated when she noticed that the room inside was dark. She couldn't resist rolling her eyes. 'Definitely a surprise party,' she thought. 'Well, at least they were nice enough to make the effort. So I shouldn't disappoint them.' Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she slowly slid the door open.
The lights were suddenly switched on, followed by several popping noises and a storm of colorful confetti that blinded her for a brief moment. Then the confetti rained down, revealing a large white banner hung with colored ribbons, that read "Happy Birthday!" written in big bold letters. Under the banner were her friends, smiling as they stood holding the now-empty poppers.
"Surprise!" the girls exclaimed, popping some unwrapped poppers that she never noticed until then. "Happy birthday, Minako-chan!"
Minako smiled, trying to look as enthusiastic as she could manage. "Oh wow! This is so great! Thanks, you guys!"
"Well, it's good that you like it," a startling well-known voice said, "but it doesn't sound like you're too surprised."
She turned, looking towards the door where the voice came from, her eyes widening when she saw Minamino-sensei standing there, with Mamoru behind him. "Minamino-sensei!" she gasped.
The redhead smiled, slowly entering the room. "That's more like it," he teased.
"What are you doing here?" she wondered, watching him with curious eyes.
"Well, Tsukino-san told me it was your birthday and asked me to come. The girls thought that I should help make your day a little more special."
Eyes brightening, she turned to the other girls. "You guys are the best!" she exclaimed, giving Usagi a tight embrace in her excitement. Then she gave one to Ami, then Makoto.
As she came to Rei, however, she noticed the Mars warrior was once again glaring at Minamino, who was innocently speaking with Mamoru.
"Rei-chan..." Minako groaned softly, tearing violet eyes away from the redhead. "Please try to be nice to him?"
Rei scoffed. "I shouldn't. He's hiding something, I know it." Turning back to Minako, her gaze softened and she smiled. "But I will, since it's your birthday."
Minako squealed softly, giving Rei her embrace. "Thank you, Rei-chan!" Then she turned and hurried over to Minamino's side.
Rei sighed softly, watching her friend talk with the teacher. She knew how much it meant to Minako to have Minamino here, spending some time with her as privately as they could manage. But she also knew that sometime she had to pull Minako aside and tell her about the feeling she'd received earlier that day.
A terrible feeling of foreboding, and the sense that things were suddenly going to go very, very wrong...
She wasn't sure when it happened, but Minako suddenly noticed that Minamino-sensei wasn't in the room. Somehow, amidst the silly games and overall fun she always had with the girls, Minamino managed to disappear from the small group. Afraid that he had just grown bored and left, she hurried out to find him.
Luckily, she didn't need to look far. She caught sight of him just turning the corner and heading to the back of the temple. Curiously she followed him, and found him simply standing there, looking out at the enclosure.
She slowly approached, not wanting to disturb him. But as she came closer, he glanced in her direction and finally noticed her.
She froze, for a moment unsure of what to do. Then she decided to take a risk and try conversation. "What are you doing out here, Minamino-sensei?"
"I just wanted to take a look around," he replied. Even in the low light of the moon, she could see the playfulness in his smile. "I hope Hino-san won't mind too much."
Emboldened, she came closer and stood next to him. "Oh, she won't mind," she assured him. Mentally, she added, 'Not if I have any say about it.'
With a soft chuckle, he looked back out at the grounds. "If you say so."
They stood quietly together, simply staring out at the temple grounds, and Minako relished the opportunity to spend some real time alone with him. Then he sighed softly, and she glanced at him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.
He nodded. "I'm all right. I..." He laughed softly. "I was just thinking of home again."
"Oh?" She turned to face him completely. He seemed to think of home a lot when he was with her. "Is there a place like this back in your hometown?"
"Well, not really..." He looked up at the sky. "It's actually really far out of the way, several hours away from any town."
"Really?" She frowned, trying to imagine what it would be like living so far away from anyone. "Does anyone live there?"
"Well, there was an elder woman who used to live there."
"Huh....I wonder why anyone would want to live in such a place far away from people."
Minamino smiled. "She liked her privacy. Plus, it was a nice, quiet place to get some rest when things got a little too busy."
"Did you visit her often?"
His smile disappeared a little, and he looked at the ground just below the wooden floor. "Well, sometimes. We tried to, anyway, if only to keep up the place."
Minako blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Well...the woman who owned it the temple and the lands around it passed away last year, and she left all her property to my friends and me. So we go up occasionally to maintain the place and make sure everything's okay."
"Oh..." Minako shifted a little, unsure of what to say after something like that.
Sensing her discomfort, he shook his head. "Forgive me, Aino-san, I shouldn't have - "
"No, it's okay!" she said, waving off his apology with a nervous hand. "I don't mind hearing about your life, Minamino-sensei. And y'know, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm always willing to listen!"
"Well, thank you, Aino-san," he replied, reaching into his jacket pocket. "But the last thing I should do is bring down the mood on your special day." Pulling out a small black rectangular box, topped with a small red bow, he held it out to the girl.
She blinked again, taking the box curiously. "What's this?"
"Well, I was going to give it to you later when you received your other gifts. But this seemed like an appropriate time."
Fingering the box, she looked up at him. "You didn't have to get me anything, Minamino-sensei!"
He chuckled. "I seem to remember hearing something like that a few weeks ago..."
She blushed slightly. "No, really! I'm just glad you came!"
Smiling, he gently tapped the gift. "Try opening it first, then we'll see if you really feel that way."
Looking at the gift again, Minako slowly opened the box and tilted it so it could catch the moonlight. When it did, her eyes widened. "Is that...?"
Minamino smiled, lifting the teardrop pendant from the box. As it hung from its golden chain, the pale yellow stones glittered. "You really seemed to like it."
She slowly reached up to touch it, as though afraid it would disappear if she did. "Oh, Minamino-sensei...I-I couldn't...This must've cost you a fortune!"
"You let me worry about that," he replied, unhooking the clasp and holding up the necklace. "But I suppose if you don't want it..."
"Uh...well..." She smiled coyly. "I guess if you went through all the trouble of getting it for me..." Turning her back to him, she carefully pulled up her hair.
She shivered a little when she felt his hands brush against the base of her neck, very briefly as he hooked the necklace. When she felt him step back, she let her hair back down and looked at the pendant.
It was only then that she noticed the small yellow porcelain rose resting on the curve of the teardrop, bright against the pale yellow stones. Reaching up, she gently fingered the rose.
"That was a...personal touch," he said with a wink. "Since yellow and roses were both your favorites, I thought you might like it."
"Mmm..." she commented idly.
"Aino-san?" Minamino said, a little curious. "Are you all right?"
Her hand wavered, beginning to feel the weight of the yellow rose. The conversation Minamino-sensei and Makoto had some time ago suddenly echoed in her mind, and her heart started pounding as her anxiety grew.
Yellow rose...friendship...
"Aino-san?" Minamino tried again, softer now.
"Minamino-sensei...?" Minako replied just as softly, looking up at him. "Can I ask you something?"
He blinked. "All right."
Fidgeting with her hands, she bit her bottom lip slightly as she tried to think of the right words to say. After a moment, she gave up thinking and just blurted out whatever was on her mind. "How do you feel about me, Minamino-sensei?"
She noticed the way he stiffened, and his eyes grew slightly wider. But it was only a quick flash before his usual reserve concealed it. "What...what do you mean?" he asked, his voice tight and careful.
She sighed, letting her hands drop to her sides. "It's just...I can't tell what you really think of me. I mean, you just gave me expensive jewelry, but it has a yellow rose of friendship on it. Sometimes you act really nice to me, and it's almost like I'm someone special to you. But then you treat me just like all your other students. It's like your trying to spend time with me, to be with me, but I...I don't know...I wasn't sure if you really...like me."
"Aino-san..." Minamino pleaded softly.
She shook her head, brushing her bangs from her watering eyes. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm just...getting a little frustrated. I mean, I don't know how you feel about me...and maybe I'll never know. But the truth, Minamino-sensei, is that I - "
Minamino held his hand up. "Wait," he said, in a tone so serious that she had no choice but to stop. She watched as he glanced around, his emerald eyes narrow and wary. He seemed on edge suddenly, and she grew a bit nervous.
"What is it, Minamino-sensei?" she whispered.
"Aino-san..." he said, barely a breath, "I need you to go back inside."
"What? Why?"
"Find the others, stay with them, and all of you stay inside."
She was already sensing there was some kind of danger, but if that was true then she couldn't just leave him by himself. "But, Minamino-sensei...!"
"Aino-san," he said, turning to her. "Please, I need you back inside. Now."
She swallowed, seeing the sternness in his eyes. With a small nod, she turned and headed off, glancing at him once before disappearing.
"Well, that was sweet...Do you mean to protect her?"
Though the hair on his nape bristled a little, his stoic mask quickly filled his expression as he stood his ground. The voice was male, he could tell that much, but faint, as the speaker was trying to hide his location. "What do you want?" he demanded.
An echoing laugh. "My business is my own."
"Then what are you doing here?" he asked again, turning slowly.
There was a pause, then another laugh. "I was surprised to see someone like you here. I was certain I left all other demons behind when I came here."
The voice was so familiar, but Kurama couldn't quite place it yet. "So...are you one of the demons that started the riot in the Makai?"
A chuckle. "Perhaps."
Slowly, Kurama reached into his hair. "Why are you here?"
"I told you, my business is my own. But if you're as smart as I've heard, you can figure it out yourself."
Suddenly the wind shifted towards Kurama, carrying with it a scent that he hadn't picked up before. He recognized it immediately, and his eyes widened. "No...!"
"Oh yes." A silhouette appeared some distance away from him, and he could make out the pointed ears and a tail split in two. "And once I'm finished with you, that girl is next..."
TBC
[Chapter 9]
Chapter: 8
Fandom: Yu Yu Hakusho, Sailor Moon
Character(s): Kurama, Chiba Mamoru, Tsukino Usagi, Aino Minako
Genre: Romance, drama, friendship
Rating: K+/PG
Disclaimers: Sailor Moon © Naoko Takeuchi, Yu Yu Hakusho © Yoshihiro Togashi
Notes: I had this idea one day when I was looking through one of my old crossovers, and I remembered a picture I saw of Yusuke and Usagi getting married, in honor of Yoshihiro Togashi and Naoko Takeuchi's marriage. But as cute as that was, it didn't feel right since Yusuke and Usagi both have people who they love. So after thinking about which characters would work well and unite the two universes, I decided to pair my two favorite characters from each. Enjoy.
Summary: "A floral symbol sacred to Venus and signifying love, the quality and nature of which was characterized by the color of the rose." ~ The Dictionary of Christian Art
[Chapter 7]
~*~*~*~
"Minako-chan's birthday is coming up soon..."
Kurama looked up at Mamoru who, despite speaking, kept his eyes in the book in front of him. The two of them were sitting in the university library studying for their respective courses, and the other's words were the first spoken in almost an hour. But what was said was even more surprising.
"Pardon?" he finally replied, unsure if he'd heard right, though he knew he wasn't wrong.
Mamoru slowly turned a page of his book. "Minako-chan. Her birthday is coming up soon."
Kurama watched his neighbor for a moment before returning to his book. "Is that so?"
"Yeah. Usa-ko and the others are throwing her a surprise party."
"That sounds like fun."
Mamoru paused then, as though unsure of the right words to say. "Usa-ko...wanted me to invite you to the party."
Kurama looked up again, this time meeting the dark blue eyes that studied him as Marmoru waited for some kind of answer. The redhead knew that while Mamoru didn't completely mind that he spent so much time with the girls, the other man was also a little wary of why he did so. Especially since he noticed Kurama only spent time with that particular group, and none of his other students. His dark-haired neighbor already seemed to suspect him of something, and spending all his free time with the civilian forms of the Sailor Senshi didn't seem to help.
Kurama did his best to seem as nonthreatening as possible, but Mamoru, though continued to act courteous, still seemed a little suspicious of him. So Kurama just kept trying.
"Why is Tsukino-san asking me to come to Aino-san's birthday party?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
Mamoru closed his book and placed it aside. "She thinks that Minako-chan would have a better birthday if you could be there."
Kurama thought for a moment. Meeting the girls in public for a small outing was one thing, but he knew how risky it would be if others learned that he was attending a student's private birthday party. "Would you also be going?"
"Well normally I wouldn't, because this kind of thing is usually something just for the girls. But if you decided to go, then I would too, just to keep things safe."
Kurama nodded. "And where would it be at?"
"I suggested Rei-chan's temple, if you wanted to go. It's in an area private enough that not many people would notice you, so it should be all right."
"I see..." Kurama replied thoughtfully. It was a good idea to have the party in a remote area where not many people would see him with the girls. And since Rei was technically not one of his students, it didn't matter too much that he was at her home. The only problem was being at the temple with Rei, who also was very suspicious of him. It shouldn't have been a big problem, but there was a chance that being at the temple would enhance the Miko's powers, and she would sense more of his youki.
Well...he would just have to be more careful.
"I think I would like to go," he said after a while.
"Really?" Mamoru asked, trying to sound casual, but looking at him with suspicious concern.
Kurama nodded, reaching into his school bag and pulling a book out. "I wouldn't mind going if it would make Aino-san happy. It might be a nice way to return the favor, since she gave me a present for my birthday some weeks ago." He passed the book, his encyclopedia of magical creatures, to Mamoru to show him.
The dark-haired man took the book and looked at the cover. "This is the gift she gave you?"
"That's right. It's an interesting book, and it's about one of my favorite topics. So I would like to do something as special for Aino-san's birthday if I can."
Mamoru nodded and handed the book back. The explanation seemed to satisfy him, at least for the moment. "Usa-ko says they're planning to have the party sometime next week, on Minako-chan's actual birthday."
"That might give me some time to find a suitable present," Kurama commented idly, placing his encyclopedia under his textbook. "But I'm not too sure what Aino-san is interested in. What would be a good present for her?"
Mamoru frowned, looking a little uncomfortable. "I might be the wrong person to ask. I don't really know what she likes."
Kurama tapped the table with a pen as he tried to think. He knew Minako liked manga and volleyball, but he wasn't sure if he could find a present special enough that related to either one of those things.
"Well," Mamoru said suddenly, pulling Kurama from his thoughts, "I might know someone who could help you..."
"Oh, look at those!" Usagi exclaimed, pressing her face against the glass of the clothes store as they passed. "Minako-chan would look so pretty in that!"
Kurama and Mamoru stood back a bit as they watched her, keeping a safe distance from the girl so curious people who looked at her wouldn't know they were with her. "Is this really the best way to do this?" Kurama wondered, glancing at his neighbor.
Mamoru chuckled, a little embarrassed. "Usa-ko would probably know more about the kinds of things Minako-chan likes. So she could help you find a suitable gift."
Usagi suddenly gave an excited shriek, and the two men looked to see she had passed to a different store. "Look at that!" she said. "That looks great!"
The redhead laughed suddenly. "Maybe I'm not the one she's helping look for gifts," he quipped. Then he laughed again as Mamoru blushed slightly, but he politely looked away.
The two went to catch up to the girl, following behind her as she continued to point out things that Minako might like (though she kept looking at Mamoru with hopeful eyes, Kurama noticed). But Kurama wasn't sure if any of the items were good enough to give Minako for her birthday. He wanted to give her something different, something really special for her birthday...but as he realized that, he began to wonder why it mattered so much.
He didn't have much time to dwell on that thought, however, as a surprised gasp snapped him out of his musing. "Minako-chan!"
"Hey, Usagi-chan!" Kurama looked up to see Minako standing at the curb of the street, looking as though she had just turned the corner when Usagi did. Slowly, he and Mamoru made their way towards them.
"Good morning, Aino-san," Kurama greeted her casually. He should have guessed with his luck that this would happen some time during the day.
"Morning, Minamino-sensei!" she replied cheerfully. Then, to be respectful, she turned to the dark-haired man and added, "Morning, Mamoru-san."
Mamoru nodded. "Morning."
Glancing between the two guys and Usagi, Minako then blinked curiously. "What's going on?" she asked the dumpling-haired girl, with a brief glance at the redhead.
"Oh...um..." Usagi floundered, scratching her head nervously. She knew she couldn't tell Minako what they were really up to, but she couldn't think of an excuse.
Noticing this, Kurama cleared his throat. "Chiba-san and I were just walking around when we bumped into Tsukino-san," he said.
"Uh, yeah!" Usagi piped in as she caught on. "When I heard they were coming here, I wanted to go too!"
Minako frowned slightly, and Kurama knew that she was a little suspicious, because she realized that it was the same kind of excuse they used when he was hanging out with them. But since she didn't know that he knew about her birthday, she didn't have any other explanation for it.
"That's cool," Minako finally said, a smile slowly appearing on her face. "Mind if I tag along?"
Usagi and Mamoru briefly glanced at Kurama, but he retained his calm. "You sure you'd like to?" he asked. "I'm just doing a little shopping, it's not likely going to be interesting."
Minako laughed. "Are you kidding me? Please! I'm a girl, remember? I love shopping!"
Kurama chuckled softly. "I suppose..."
"Besides," she added, a mischievous glint in her sapphire eyes, "how's it suppose to look with two guys in college hanging out with one innocent high school girl? If anything, you need me to come along to at least even things out and make it look less weird."
The redhead considered this for a moment. "Actually, Aino-san, you're absolutely right. That would probably be for the best."
With a triumphant grin, Minako then grabbed Usagi's hand. "C'mon, let's take a look around!" she said, and the other blonde was all too eager to agree.
The two guys followed them at a slower pace, and when the girls were a safe distance away, Mamoru turned to Kurama. "Are you sure this is okay?" he asked.
Kurama nodded. "It should be fine."
"It'll be harder to get a present for her with her here, though."
"Well, it'd be harder to buy it." Kurama smiled. "But what better way to to find out what she likes than to hear her say it herself? Besides, with Tsukino-san here, it should keep her distracted enough so she won't notice me making a note of the things she wants, and I can always come back to buy it later."
Thinking for a moment, Mamoru nodded. "Or Usa-ko and I can distract her and take her somewhere else so you can come back and get whatever it is she wants."
Kurama nodded as well. "That might work too."
As they neared the spot where the girls stood waiting for them, the door of a nearby store opened, and a girl stepped out, sweeping some dust out with a broom. She had short brown hair, tied back with a green bow, and a white smock on that covered her clothes, signifying that she was working at the store. Kurama blinked, surprised to see that he recognized her as a student from one of his classes.
"Naru-chan!" Usagi suddenly called, running up to the brunette.
"Hey, Usagi-chan!" Naru replied. Seeing the other blonde, she smiled. "Hi, Minako-chan."
"Hey, Naru-chan," Minako greeted.
Kurama and Mamoru slowed a little more, keeping back a bit away from the girls to let them talk amongst themselves, but still close enough to hear the conversation.
"Are you helping your mom today, Naru-chan?" Usagi asked.
The brunette nodded. "Yeah. She's been pretty busy lately, since she just got a new shipment of jewelry in. So I'm helping out a little."
"New jewelry?" Minako said curiously. "Like what?"
"Just a set from that new 'Teardrop' collection, you know?"
"Oh, I've heard of that collection! With those pretty yellow jewels?"
Naru nodded. "Those are the ones. And this is the first time we're selling any of them here, so mom's a little worried that people won't buy them."
"Yeah, I heard those Teardrop jewelry are really expensive, right?" Usagi said.
"They are. They actually used to be a lot more expensive because they were only sold on the black market just a few years ago, but the price dropped a bit when they became more mainstream. But they're still really expensive."
"I bet they're really pretty, huh?" Minako asked, her tone a little wistful.
"They really are," Naru confirmed, switching the broom to her other hand. "Well, I've got to help my mom set up a few more things. But if you want to take a look at some of the Teardrop stuff, we've got some on display at the window."
"Okay. Thanks, Naru-chan!" Usagi said, waving as the brunette headed back inside. Then she and Minako peered into the store at the jewelry on display and immediately began giggling and 'oooh'-ing and 'aww'-ing over them.
Slowly, quietly, Kurama came up behind the girls to look at the jewelry over their shoulders, even though he already knew what jewels they were speaking of. It always surprised him how Yukina continued to come up with new designs to showcase her teargems and sell them as jewelry. But he was even more surprised that they had become as popular so far from home.
A few months after living with the Kuwabara family, Yukina had started selling her teargems because she felt bad about living there and not being able to contribute for finances. So, despite Kuwabara and Hiei's protests, and with the help of Kuwabara's father, Kuwabara Senior, she used her teargems to make jewelry and sold them to stores so they could be purchased by others. Some stores even bought the plain teargems to fashion the jewelry themselves. As Naru said before, though, the price of the teargems had lessened as the gems became more popular in circulation, but they still fetched for a good price, which Yukina and Kuwabara Senior secretly saved for Kuwabara's college tuition (if the teen knew, Kurama was sure he would refuse take it).
He then glanced at the two girls, who continued whispering about the jewelry. "Ugh, they're so pretty!" Minako exclaimed, some frustration in her longing.
"That's usually a good thing," Kurama quipped.
"Well, not if I can't afford it!" she argued, but she glanced at him with a playful smile.
Kurama glanced at the window display, looking as the sun glittered against the pale yellow stones. "Do you like this particular kind of jewelry, Aino-san?"
She giggled. "Well, I like most jewelry, really. But it's such a pretty yellow color."
"Oh? Is yellow your favorite color?"
Minako nodded. "Yeah. That and red."
"Ah. I see."
Nodding again, Minako sighed and turned back to the display. "Man, I would love to have something this pretty!"
"Me too!" Usagi agreed, glancing back at Mamoru.
The dark-haired man cleared his throat as he shifted his weight onto one foot. "We should get going," he murmured.
"Aww!" the girls whined. "Do we have to go now?"
"Probably," Kurama replied, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Besides, staring at the display all day isn't going to help you buy the jewelry, right? So you should break it off now before you get too attached."
The two girls sighed, glancing longingly at the Teardrop jewelry one last time before slowly following the two guys down the street.
Glancing back at the two and seeing they were a good distance back, Kurama then frowned thoughtfully and pulled out his cellphone. "That might do," he said softly, punching in some keys.
"What?" Mamoru said, looking at the other. "You're not thinking of getting her that, are you? It seems a bit expensive."
"Oh don't worry," Kurama replied with a small smile as he put his phone away. "There's no way I'd ever be able to afford to buy something like that."
Just then, all humor drained from his face as a familiar chill ran down his spine, so sudden and unexpected that he stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, trying to determine where the feeling originated, but the sensation was gone as quickly as it came, and nothing out of the ordinary caught his eye.
"Are you all right?" he heard Mamoru ask beside him. But he didn't answer for a moment, his eyes still scanning the city street around him.
"Minamino-sensei?" Minako questioned softly, and he glanced at the girl, meeting her concerned blue eyes.
"I'm...all right," he finally replied, trying to shake off the feeling. "I just...thought I heard someone call my name."
"You seem a bit shaken up, though," Mamoru said, taking a step towards him as medical instincts began to kick in. "You sure you're okay?"
Kurama nodded. "I'm fine...really. Anyway, we should be going." With that, he turned away from the others and started to head down the street once again.
He felt the others hesitate slightly before moving to follow him, obviously still concerned by his abrupt change in demeanor. But he couldn't tell them what had really happened...he couldn't let them know the feeling he'd had.
It was an all-too familiar sense of a being unlike the regular humans within the city. And while he hoped it was nothing to worry about, he knew he was not mistaken.
He knew now...that he was not the only demon in Tokyo.
Minako sighed softly as she finally reached the top of the long flight of stairs, looking at the temple grounds curiously. "I wonder why Usagi-chan wanted us to meet here so suddenly. Hopefully everything's okay..." Then she sighed. "Though if she's having a crisis, I wish it could wait until after my birthday..."
So far, her birthday had been less than special, especially when it started with waking up a little late and getting yelled at by her mother. By some miracle, she had made it to school on time, but on a day when Minamino-sensei wasn't teaching there was hardly a point. And though the girls had remembered her birthday and were nice enough to greet her, they were all too busy to do anything to celebrate with her.
She had convinced herself that it was okay though, because she was bound to see Minamino-sensei sometime, and if she told him it was her birthday, maybe he would do something nice for her. She was sure that he'd spend some time with her, at least. Unfortunately, she never even saw him, and after a while she gave up and just went home, where she attempted to do some homework and hung out with Artemis until Usagi called and urgently asked her to come to Rei's temple. She didn't say why or explain what was going on, but she simply said that it was important.
"Of course," Minako said to herself thoughtfully, slowly making her way to the room they always met in when at the temple, "the girls could be throwing a surprise party for me, which is why they all bailed on me earlier. But if that's the case, it's not much of a surprise now...But at least there'll be presents. So I guess it's not too bad."
Standing in front of the door, Minako hesitated when she noticed that the room inside was dark. She couldn't resist rolling her eyes. 'Definitely a surprise party,' she thought. 'Well, at least they were nice enough to make the effort. So I shouldn't disappoint them.' Taking a deep breath to prepare herself, she slowly slid the door open.
The lights were suddenly switched on, followed by several popping noises and a storm of colorful confetti that blinded her for a brief moment. Then the confetti rained down, revealing a large white banner hung with colored ribbons, that read "Happy Birthday!" written in big bold letters. Under the banner were her friends, smiling as they stood holding the now-empty poppers.
"Surprise!" the girls exclaimed, popping some unwrapped poppers that she never noticed until then. "Happy birthday, Minako-chan!"
Minako smiled, trying to look as enthusiastic as she could manage. "Oh wow! This is so great! Thanks, you guys!"
"Well, it's good that you like it," a startling well-known voice said, "but it doesn't sound like you're too surprised."
She turned, looking towards the door where the voice came from, her eyes widening when she saw Minamino-sensei standing there, with Mamoru behind him. "Minamino-sensei!" she gasped.
The redhead smiled, slowly entering the room. "That's more like it," he teased.
"What are you doing here?" she wondered, watching him with curious eyes.
"Well, Tsukino-san told me it was your birthday and asked me to come. The girls thought that I should help make your day a little more special."
Eyes brightening, she turned to the other girls. "You guys are the best!" she exclaimed, giving Usagi a tight embrace in her excitement. Then she gave one to Ami, then Makoto.
As she came to Rei, however, she noticed the Mars warrior was once again glaring at Minamino, who was innocently speaking with Mamoru.
"Rei-chan..." Minako groaned softly, tearing violet eyes away from the redhead. "Please try to be nice to him?"
Rei scoffed. "I shouldn't. He's hiding something, I know it." Turning back to Minako, her gaze softened and she smiled. "But I will, since it's your birthday."
Minako squealed softly, giving Rei her embrace. "Thank you, Rei-chan!" Then she turned and hurried over to Minamino's side.
Rei sighed softly, watching her friend talk with the teacher. She knew how much it meant to Minako to have Minamino here, spending some time with her as privately as they could manage. But she also knew that sometime she had to pull Minako aside and tell her about the feeling she'd received earlier that day.
A terrible feeling of foreboding, and the sense that things were suddenly going to go very, very wrong...
She wasn't sure when it happened, but Minako suddenly noticed that Minamino-sensei wasn't in the room. Somehow, amidst the silly games and overall fun she always had with the girls, Minamino managed to disappear from the small group. Afraid that he had just grown bored and left, she hurried out to find him.
Luckily, she didn't need to look far. She caught sight of him just turning the corner and heading to the back of the temple. Curiously she followed him, and found him simply standing there, looking out at the enclosure.
She slowly approached, not wanting to disturb him. But as she came closer, he glanced in her direction and finally noticed her.
She froze, for a moment unsure of what to do. Then she decided to take a risk and try conversation. "What are you doing out here, Minamino-sensei?"
"I just wanted to take a look around," he replied. Even in the low light of the moon, she could see the playfulness in his smile. "I hope Hino-san won't mind too much."
Emboldened, she came closer and stood next to him. "Oh, she won't mind," she assured him. Mentally, she added, 'Not if I have any say about it.'
With a soft chuckle, he looked back out at the grounds. "If you say so."
They stood quietly together, simply staring out at the temple grounds, and Minako relished the opportunity to spend some real time alone with him. Then he sighed softly, and she glanced at him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.
He nodded. "I'm all right. I..." He laughed softly. "I was just thinking of home again."
"Oh?" She turned to face him completely. He seemed to think of home a lot when he was with her. "Is there a place like this back in your hometown?"
"Well, not really..." He looked up at the sky. "It's actually really far out of the way, several hours away from any town."
"Really?" She frowned, trying to imagine what it would be like living so far away from anyone. "Does anyone live there?"
"Well, there was an elder woman who used to live there."
"Huh....I wonder why anyone would want to live in such a place far away from people."
Minamino smiled. "She liked her privacy. Plus, it was a nice, quiet place to get some rest when things got a little too busy."
"Did you visit her often?"
His smile disappeared a little, and he looked at the ground just below the wooden floor. "Well, sometimes. We tried to, anyway, if only to keep up the place."
Minako blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Well...the woman who owned it the temple and the lands around it passed away last year, and she left all her property to my friends and me. So we go up occasionally to maintain the place and make sure everything's okay."
"Oh..." Minako shifted a little, unsure of what to say after something like that.
Sensing her discomfort, he shook his head. "Forgive me, Aino-san, I shouldn't have - "
"No, it's okay!" she said, waving off his apology with a nervous hand. "I don't mind hearing about your life, Minamino-sensei. And y'know, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm always willing to listen!"
"Well, thank you, Aino-san," he replied, reaching into his jacket pocket. "But the last thing I should do is bring down the mood on your special day." Pulling out a small black rectangular box, topped with a small red bow, he held it out to the girl.
She blinked again, taking the box curiously. "What's this?"
"Well, I was going to give it to you later when you received your other gifts. But this seemed like an appropriate time."
Fingering the box, she looked up at him. "You didn't have to get me anything, Minamino-sensei!"
He chuckled. "I seem to remember hearing something like that a few weeks ago..."
She blushed slightly. "No, really! I'm just glad you came!"
Smiling, he gently tapped the gift. "Try opening it first, then we'll see if you really feel that way."
Looking at the gift again, Minako slowly opened the box and tilted it so it could catch the moonlight. When it did, her eyes widened. "Is that...?"
Minamino smiled, lifting the teardrop pendant from the box. As it hung from its golden chain, the pale yellow stones glittered. "You really seemed to like it."
She slowly reached up to touch it, as though afraid it would disappear if she did. "Oh, Minamino-sensei...I-I couldn't...This must've cost you a fortune!"
"You let me worry about that," he replied, unhooking the clasp and holding up the necklace. "But I suppose if you don't want it..."
"Uh...well..." She smiled coyly. "I guess if you went through all the trouble of getting it for me..." Turning her back to him, she carefully pulled up her hair.
She shivered a little when she felt his hands brush against the base of her neck, very briefly as he hooked the necklace. When she felt him step back, she let her hair back down and looked at the pendant.
It was only then that she noticed the small yellow porcelain rose resting on the curve of the teardrop, bright against the pale yellow stones. Reaching up, she gently fingered the rose.
"That was a...personal touch," he said with a wink. "Since yellow and roses were both your favorites, I thought you might like it."
"Mmm..." she commented idly.
"Aino-san?" Minamino said, a little curious. "Are you all right?"
Her hand wavered, beginning to feel the weight of the yellow rose. The conversation Minamino-sensei and Makoto had some time ago suddenly echoed in her mind, and her heart started pounding as her anxiety grew.
Yellow rose...friendship...
"Aino-san?" Minamino tried again, softer now.
"Minamino-sensei...?" Minako replied just as softly, looking up at him. "Can I ask you something?"
He blinked. "All right."
Fidgeting with her hands, she bit her bottom lip slightly as she tried to think of the right words to say. After a moment, she gave up thinking and just blurted out whatever was on her mind. "How do you feel about me, Minamino-sensei?"
She noticed the way he stiffened, and his eyes grew slightly wider. But it was only a quick flash before his usual reserve concealed it. "What...what do you mean?" he asked, his voice tight and careful.
She sighed, letting her hands drop to her sides. "It's just...I can't tell what you really think of me. I mean, you just gave me expensive jewelry, but it has a yellow rose of friendship on it. Sometimes you act really nice to me, and it's almost like I'm someone special to you. But then you treat me just like all your other students. It's like your trying to spend time with me, to be with me, but I...I don't know...I wasn't sure if you really...like me."
"Aino-san..." Minamino pleaded softly.
She shook her head, brushing her bangs from her watering eyes. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm just...getting a little frustrated. I mean, I don't know how you feel about me...and maybe I'll never know. But the truth, Minamino-sensei, is that I - "
Minamino held his hand up. "Wait," he said, in a tone so serious that she had no choice but to stop. She watched as he glanced around, his emerald eyes narrow and wary. He seemed on edge suddenly, and she grew a bit nervous.
"What is it, Minamino-sensei?" she whispered.
"Aino-san..." he said, barely a breath, "I need you to go back inside."
"What? Why?"
"Find the others, stay with them, and all of you stay inside."
She was already sensing there was some kind of danger, but if that was true then she couldn't just leave him by himself. "But, Minamino-sensei...!"
"Aino-san," he said, turning to her. "Please, I need you back inside. Now."
She swallowed, seeing the sternness in his eyes. With a small nod, she turned and headed off, glancing at him once before disappearing.
"Well, that was sweet...Do you mean to protect her?"
Though the hair on his nape bristled a little, his stoic mask quickly filled his expression as he stood his ground. The voice was male, he could tell that much, but faint, as the speaker was trying to hide his location. "What do you want?" he demanded.
An echoing laugh. "My business is my own."
"Then what are you doing here?" he asked again, turning slowly.
There was a pause, then another laugh. "I was surprised to see someone like you here. I was certain I left all other demons behind when I came here."
The voice was so familiar, but Kurama couldn't quite place it yet. "So...are you one of the demons that started the riot in the Makai?"
A chuckle. "Perhaps."
Slowly, Kurama reached into his hair. "Why are you here?"
"I told you, my business is my own. But if you're as smart as I've heard, you can figure it out yourself."
Suddenly the wind shifted towards Kurama, carrying with it a scent that he hadn't picked up before. He recognized it immediately, and his eyes widened. "No...!"
"Oh yes." A silhouette appeared some distance away from him, and he could make out the pointed ears and a tail split in two. "And once I'm finished with you, that girl is next..."
TBC
[Chapter 9]