Chapter Text
~Chapter 1 Start~
The most important part is that…I'm dead, or at least I think I am. Or was, everything is still a little confusing right now. I don't remember much, there are a lot of blank spaces. I assume my death must have been pretty violent and involved head trauma. Lots of head trauma...Unless I'm not dead, in which case I guess I have selective amnesia from head trauma. Is that even a thing? How does one know if they are dead anyways?
Damn I wish I had google. I had a growing list of questions without the ability to find any answers.
To start off my story you need to know one thing though. Loud noises scare me, I keep wetting myself, things are frightening and funny all at the same time, and I'm pretty sure I'm a baby. Like, a literal infant. Talk about weird experiences, being completely coherent and aware but physically unable to do anything . Wait, that was more than one thing...Give me a break I think I'm only a few weeks old. Or maybe months? Shit this must be one hell of a coma. If this is a coma. Maybe this is my fucked up afterlife? I hadn’t really come to any single conclusion yet. So, let me backtrack a tad to where it all begins… or rather ends.
Pictures cascaded by, like the start of an old movie, you know, the kind that used film and had a tendency to combust flames. Huh? Retro film doesn't normally do that? Well, I guess that trope lied to me. It's probably not the first time. Point is, it felt like I was a passenger watching what pieces of my memories remained pass by. There are pieces of different experiences vaguely related to one another in the feature film that is my life. The flames and burning holes sort of confuse the plot, and my life really needs-needed to learn what constitutes a period and comma, or perhaps even an em dash? What is an em dash you ask? Well it's honestly a stylistic choice, oh...you don't really care do you. Point is, all of them reminded me I had died, but not a single memory bore any real recollections of my death, how I died, and everything in between. Just...weird broken checkpoints of my life.
Sorry I'm kind of a literary nerd. No, no, I'm not a genius. I'm not a straight A student or a writer. I'm just an insomniac with google. Or… I was. So what's the overall conclusion? I guess there really isn't one other than to complain about the current state of affairs. The state being a complete disarray of my memories and... well, the entirety of who I am. I didn’t even have enough to go off of either, were my memories taken and locked away? Were they lost to trauma or some sort of injury? Black magic? A disability I had in my old life I also forgot about in my untimely demise? Who the fuck knew at this point. It was the not knowing that was killing me.
Not being able to walk is a bitch as well, but I digress.
This is of course assuming that my theory of dying is correct. Everything’s kind of a mess right now inside my head, a developing brain with a consciousness that, despite being fractured, is bigger than the box it’s trying to fit in. Maybe that’s what happened to my memories. I mean, I do remember friends, my first kiss, how I got bullied in second grade, my aunt's wedding, my grandma's funeral, my best friend's worst day, my best friend's best day, the day I got arrested. (It's not as bad as it sounds, I was 16, smoking my first joint when my besties' Dad caught us and decided to arrest us both to straighten us out. So absolutely embarrassing.) At least...I think that’s what happened. Like I said, a lot of blank spaces. (Could have been the plot to an afterschool special for all I know.)
That's right, I can use parenthesis, but my motor control is non-existent. In fact, let's fast forward past this part, hearing me night blog while shitting myself probably doesn't make for good entertainment. So let’s skip over the next little bit and begin right where things started to get interesting. The day everything inevitably changed for the best, and the worst. Somehow being the best and worst was just so... him .
Not that I’d ever admit that out loud. Not that I’d ever admit that to him .
~Break~
The important stuff happened right around the time I was 13. The very first day of junior high in fact. It was a day I wasn’t soon going to forget, like most kids my age. Except, it wasn’t the excitement of something new and more mature that made it so memorable. Remember, I had been through this all before, just in the states, not Japan. Keep up now, we need to get to the good part before anyone gets bored. Let me set the scene for you to really grab your attention. The off white walls of some old but held in high regard middle school. Where halls were wide enough for students to pass by one another and the classrooms close and tight-knitted so the teachers could keep a watchful eye on each student. They had the money to be properly outfitted, but not so fancy as to be considered bougie or lavish. One of those schools with the lockers all in the front of the school where we were expected to change our shoes upon entering depending on the weather. There was still a dress code to adhere to after all. An old building with a fresh coat of paint and redone interiors. A private school that had its own dedicated elementary school and high school, providing the well to do families with a straight shot to university. Prestige meant everything in both countries.
So picture it. I'm thirteen years old, and I'm just starting my first day at a new school. Hair unruly, skin feeling oily despite being clean, clothing fitting uncomfortably and strange on a still growing body. Everything I had experienced more than once. As before I was a thirteen year old starting junior high, I was a twenty-six year old first year medical intern. An award winning dancer… if you count fourth and fifth from the ages five to eighteen award winning. It's the equivalent of ‘You tried!’ awards in dance terms, but it kept my mother at bay. I loved dancing, but the competitions were a precursor to pageants for her. The kind of woman who cared more for appearances rather than substance. The kind of mother who would smother who I was to ensure that thin veneer of polished perfection stayed in place.
I remember that about her, perhaps a little too well. I remember my parents were Virginia Adair and Richard Adair. I was born in the good old US of A in the summer month of June 22nd, 1989. A seven pound two ounce overdue baby. The start of my reign of disappointment to my mother I'm sure. What a contrast to my chubby bubby reincarnation, born to Elizabeth Mukai and Hirohito Mukai. I know we're in Japan and I am born and raised Japanese, but yes, that's an English name. My mom is an Irish-American; first generation—I mean my current mom. Mom of right now. She was an English teacher in Japan who ended up immigrating when she married dad. It was not quite a fairy tale story but it was one they were both fond of telling. My father worked in middle management of some company affording us some level of privilege.
So my new name—my current name is Anastasia Mukai. What a funny joke right? I'm a hafu with an incredibly western first name. Thanks mom! Also, the irony does not evade me on the meaning of that particular name either. She couldn’t be bothered to give me an Irish or Japanese name could she. Said that her favourite movie was Anastasia growing up and that was that, it was suddenly my name. Yeah, I’m one of the first of those kids named after a parents favourite show or movie character. Joy. I was honestly just thankful it wasn’t obvious where my name came from like Naruto or Daenerys. No hate to anyone with those names, I just would have hated the repetition of people asking/making jokes about it. I was born December 10th, 2000 in Tokyo, Japan. My only consolation is, at least the time period isn't too different from when I was alive, err, previously alive. But I have puberty to look forward to again with the added bonus of perpetual culture shock! That was sarcasm, there was nothing to look forward to. Not to spoil anything but it sucked the second time, shocker I know. It sucked the first time too.
So this is me: 5'6, pale as an Irish leprechaun, with slightly waved ginger locks just past my shoulders, pale green-blue eyes, and dark freckles contrasting against my paleness. I look pretty much how I did in my other life, except my nose and eyes were shaped a touch differently. Other than that, I looked just like my mother; gaining the aforementioned traits from my father. People often thought my dad was babysitting me at first. It had been something that really bothered him until I grew up a bit and I grew into the features he and I shared. My body surprisingly wasn't all that different from my previous life at this point. You know, before puberty. I think. God I hate how often I have to say that.
Keep that in mind, it's all conjecture. I think I remember this. I think this is who I was, I think that happened, but maybe I'm just making it all fit so I don't go insane. That's a possibility too. Either way, my memory issues didn’t change the fact that I was now petite, but pure muscle. Having been enrolled in professional dance classes since I was at least three years old. Mom thought it would give me an edge in getting accepted into private schools, she wasn't wrong. I wasn't well endowed in the chest department, and it often made me feel uncomfortable. Having grown up the first time with DD's in a southern town of a country built on big breasted women, I felt out of place with my less curvy and more petite frame. But this was my body now and I was determined to make the most of it. Slowly but surely the face I saw in the mirror became my new normal. Either from me adapting or forgetting, I was never quite sure. It wasn’t every day you got a chance at another life. I was just thankful the differences weren’t super drastic. Gotta take what little you can get at this point.
It made dancing a lot easier, it really was an industry skewed towards the perfect 'dancer's body'. Well, the people judging were skewed towards it, my dancing hadn't been any worse or better in my previous body. I was, however, scoring higher this time around. I was no longer needing to compensate on my own for moves no one bothered to teach for bodies like mine. Sadly, I was still only getting fifth place on a good night. But back to my first day. Like I said. This is where the story really starts. The day I met him and had my entire world flipped upside down. Who is he, you ask, and I’m so glad you did. Well, let me stop rambling and start this story moving so you can meet him too.
I smoothed my magenta skirt as they finished the welcoming ceremony. I was officially a student of Meiou Junior High. The name brought back a fondness to the older anime of my previous youth, and I couldn't help but smile at the distant foggy memory. I scoffed thinking back to old fanfictions detailing original female protagonists being sent to their world and attending the school. It was a common theme among fanfiction I may or may not only have read, but written. I think, again, memory is a bit...fuckered. Out of all the memories I managed to retain, it would be that of reading fanfiction. Typical. Although, what I was experiencing was basically an isekai wasn’t it? Only without the fantastical powers and exciting hero's journey. Shaking off that thought I exited the room and stared down at the orientation paper that was handed out to everyone. I was trying to memorise all the information I needed before tucking the paper away safely in my bag.
Paper safe and sound in a zipped pocket, I shucked my bookbag higher up my shoulder with a sight and went about finding the locker I was assigned. I had been dragged through several halls for orientation and now no longer knew which way led to the entrance. My wavy orange locks bunching painfully under my strap and I winced as I awkwardly adjusted the strap and my hair. The result caused my fly-away wavy hair to bunch up into a twisted mess. It was annoying but unruly hair was the least of my problems at this point…I had no idea where I was going, direction sense was not something I had in either life I’m afraid. Thankfully after a few minutes of feeling lost, a kind looking prefect directed me to where the first year lockers were. Grasping my locker number tightly in my left hand, I scanned the lockers one by one until I found mine. I brushed the pads on my fingers across the number in a weird nostalgic giddiness.
'177' I put in my combination and opened my locker feeling entirely too anxious for someone who was attending junior high for a second time. I placed my runners inside the locker, my unneeded school books, my gym uniform, and my lunch. I wasn't entirely used to not having everything with me as I was acclimated too back in America, I felt kind of naked without the weight of my books. I was entirely too engrossed in my thoughts about the differences to notice anything and ended up turning and almost walking into someone who was standing curiously close to me.
"Oh, gees, sorry!" I quickly spouted, looking up as my back hit what was clearly another person.
It appeared I had almost bowled over another student. He had taken a step back after I had knocked into him. I turned fully around and looked at him curiously. He was average height and stood with an air of ease. He held his hands up in surrender as he gave me a 'good-ol-boy' smile. His uniform hung on his form like it fit him a whole lot better than it fit me. Maybe it was just the girls uniform that was so awkward? Or maybe it was just me. His eyes were wide and sharp, looking down at me in clear amused curiosity. His hair while short was also the most curious colour of red. Was that even allowed in a private school?
"It's quite alright, I was rather close so I'll take some of the blame." He responded, his smile widening as his eyes swept over my anxious frame.
I took that moment to really look at him. Huh, at least I am not the only one with red hair here even if mine was more natural and his was more striking. Hopefully, I'll be less of a freak here than in elementary school. His eyes were probably the most fascinating part of him. He was very clearly full Japanese, but he had such bright and truly green eyes. I mean the red hair was odd as well, but people here had an array of hair colour so I kind of just accepted the notion that all Japanese people had black or dark hair to be another trope that lied to me. That or the world I was now living in humans could have a vast array of hair colours naturally. Either or I suppose, not that I’d ever really know. No one else made a big deal about it so I didn’t either. It was easier to just go with the flow at some point and not look like you’ve lost your mind. Who would believe you’ve lived life once before and were reincarnated with most-some of your memories. Well, I could at the very least be polite and introduce myself.
"Ahh, um, hi! My name is Mukai, Anastasia, but you can call me Ana." I curled my grown out bangs around my ear and smiled wide trying to ignore my anxiety for a moment.
I had made an unfortunate choice 2 years ago to have straight bangs. It did not look good, I burned all the photos. So now, I had awkwardly grown out bangs that just barely tucked behind my ears. Was I staring too long? I wasn't sure what was polite eye contact and what wasn't, I don't think I was ever really good at it to be honest. I never really did fit in in my new culture either. I was a southern girl born and raised. I missed my southern accent, but at least I still remembered English...mostly. It's hard to retain when you hardly ever get a chance to speak it. Sure, mom and I would use english with one another, but dad wasn’t as comfortable speaking fully in english and often felt left out. We also spoke too fast for him once we got going, even though he’d never made a big deal about it. It was something we only really did when he wasn’t around now. I was really hoping the English classes in this school were up to par because I didn’t want to lose one of the last ties I had to my old life, my old world.
His lips were moving.
Oh shit! I wasn't paying any attention, great first impression.
Now his lips weren't moving.
Oh God, speak Ana speak!
"Sorry wha?" I blurted out.
What a sight I must have been, messy hair tucked to the side away from my strap, uniform hanging awkwardly off my gangly frame, and my face just positively ballooning with red. Curse my Irish heritage! He echoed a smooth chuckle as he watched me have my internal struggle. Was I really the only awkward person in this world? What the hell...Shit, pay attention Ana you can’t miss what he says a second time. Death by embarrassment would be on your tombstone for sure. I refused to give this stranger any more of my embarrassment so I focused all my energy into waiting for him to repeat himself.
"I was asking what class you were in." His patient tone clarified for me.
He continued to smile warmly at me as I just stood there gaping. It was beyond embarrassing now as I was unable to gather a single thought beyond looking at the paper I was given earlier. This wasn’t life or death Ana, he just wants to know what class you’re in. But of course, anxiety sure made it feel like it. Come on anxiety, we are talking to a fellow student not going to war, we are safe.
"Oh, um..." I rifled through my bag looking for my class assignment sheet.
I must look like such a mess of a person, poor...oh god, I didn't even get his name. Oh my god I really am a mess of a person, I didn’t just look like one. Fucking great. Not only was I acting like a neurotic mess over a simple question, I was also rude. Wait, how long has he been waiting for my reply? Chancing a look up I found him smiling warmly at me still, patiently waiting for my response. Shit, I should probably get an answer then instead of wasting time. I was doing a piss poor job of avoiding anymore embarrassment.
"Ahh it's class 1-4." I provided an answer, hoping we didn’t have last names near one another.
I was already mortified. I didn't want to spend the rest of the year in the same room as him just basking in this embarrassing moment over and over again. I wanted to pass by him in the hallways occasionally until I became a footnote of a story he told at parties sometimes. He smiled again, pleased with my answer and my heart sunk.
"Same class then. Mind if I follow you? I seem to be a touch lost." He smiled so very calmly.
He turned to stand beside me now and motioned for me to lead. My embarrassment suddenly bloomed into annoyance. Whoever this kid was, he was taking the piss if he thought I’d believe such an obvious lie. What bullshit, he was just feeling sorry for my clumsy ass. Probably wanted to make sure I wasn't late after almost running me over. Gotta love pity. I didn’t want it but I also didn’t know how to get out of going together, considering we were in the same class. God I was going to have to spend the rest of the year with him too. Great, everyone is going to know how awkward I am. Goodbye making friends now that people are old enough to hold interesting conversations.
"Uh, sure, that's fine." I closed my book bag and cleared my throat.
It was suddenly very dry. What was wrong with me? I mean sure, he was pretty, but I've been around prettier, after all I had seen-I had seen…What had I seen? I can't remember, fucking great. Maybe he was the prettiest person I had ever seen, or it was the coma. I am going to blame the coma. Despite the embarrassment and annoyance, it was still nice of him to not call it out. Even if just barely nice. It did little to quell my ire and I felt it all simmering in my belly like a dull ache. It twisted and I chewed on my bottom lip. Like a switch everything flipped back to anxiety. I was apprehensive of cutting out any chance of friendship with him, or anyone really.
I was lonely and...I wanted to make a good impression, I didn't really have anyone lining up to be friends with me at the moment. I didn't really have a whole lot of friends here, being significantly older (at least in my own head/mind/soul or whatever) made it hard to connect with a bunch of prepubescent kids. He seemed pretty nice though, tranquil, collected, and kind of annoying. No one pities me! That's all you really need in a friend. A calm mind, unpredictable nature, a little crazy, and a whole lot of pity. Strongest bonds for a friendship!
No wait, that didn't sound right at all, but why did it come to mind so quickly? Looking around I felt a nervous feeling creep up. Ah…Damn this kid for being right! I was so lost in my thoughts I actually got lost. Shit, now how was I going to explain backtracking to the entrance without admitting I had gotten lost? I had already made enough of a fool of myself earlier, I didn’t want to make it worse. I turned back around trying to retrace my steps but found myself unable to recognize any of the classrooms we walked past. Shit, I was going to have to ask for help after all.
"Umm, I don't actually know where we are." I blushed, feeling entirely stupid after leading him around random halls.
"I think our class is just down the hall actually." He walked ahead of me, so sure of himself.
He moved so gracefully it was like he literally glided across the floor. Which was of course impossible. No one moved that fluidly, that gracefully and beautifully. It almost seemed unhuman, perhaps a hint I shouldn’t have ignored. I ignored more and more things as time went on though, and this was only the first.
"At least I was on the right track." I whispered to myself, but he must have caught it because I heard him chuckle.
He waited for me to enter the classroom ahead of him. My, my, such a gentleman, a man after my southern courted heart. Sitting ourselves down we noticed the teacher had already arrived and was waiting for the bell as she idly looked around, giving us a curious look. She had her hair up in a neat bun, a knee length circle skirt in periwinkle with a soft cream blouse. Her tall heels gave her a lift enough to look older than the rest of the students, but it was obvious she was decently short. The bell began to ring, startling several sleepy students. As it rang the teacher wasted no time and started a roll call. It was too fucking early for her energy I swear. Her heels clicked as she pivoted to look at us. Her face pinched tight as she gave us the approximation of a stern no-nonsense look.
"Minamino, Shuichi." She said, her voice softer than I expected for her expression.
"Present." the same composed and collected ginger spoke up.
Wait what? No seriously, had I misheard that? I had to have, I wasn’t paying attention once again. Seriously, rewind, back it up a minute. What name did she fucking say? There was no way, I had to have heard wrong. Right? Right? Right?
~Break~
This was the most important thing. Minamino Shuichi. My first big clue of where I was, although it didn't really seem like a clue to me at the time. It was more me almost having a panic attack and praying I had misheard the name. The teacher ended up calling my name several times before Shuichi elbowed me. Yeah we were seated next to each other. Woohoo close last names! Ok, this could easily be explained away. So he had a similar name to a character in Yu Yu Hakusho. So we went to a school with a similar name from the anime. All coincidence of course, Shuichi is a common name, it's probably like...Steve, or Billy-bob. A quick google will ease my fears.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT IN THE TOP 1000!?
I smashed my phone against my desk bristling. Stupid phone, it was clearly at fault. Stupid piece of technology denying me the answer I so sorely wanted. I would do anything at this point to avoid what was so obviously staring me in the face. Isekais into fictional worlds just wasn’t possible after all, it was the stuff of silly fanfictions. He wasn’t that Shuichi Minamino. Nope, I refused to go down that train of thought.
"I am sure whatever the phone did, it didn't mean it." I jumped in my seat and turned to see the boy in question seated at the desk beside mine, lunch in hand peering over my shoulder with quick green eyes.
Lunch. Right. I stared down at my unopened bento box. My thoughts showed on my face as it scrunched up in annoyance. I mean, I had already assumed I wasn’t in the same world as before. Everything was so similar but just different enough I had picked up on that pretty quick. But there was no way I could have ended up in a fictional world. Shuichi continued to stare at me, waiting for my response. The one I still had yet to give as I stared down at my food.
"You know how unruly technology is, if I don't show it who's boss the rest will walk all over me." I rushed out hurriedly, as if to make up for how long it had taken me to respond
I opened my bento and pointedly ignored the oddly familiar boy. I received no resistance to this and was pleased. He was happy to sit there and eat while reading. I on the other hand was dicking around on english websites looking up the familiar anime in hopes I could ease my fears. I chose english so that no one around me would be able to understand it for the most part. Whenever I wanted to ensure some sort of privacy I would read things in english. It was good practice and great at keeping things on the down low. Of course, that only worked when the people around me didn’t understand English of course. But I was in middle school with a bunch of kids so the chances were-
"What's a Yu Yu Hakusho?" His voice startled me.
I jumped again, the phone clattered from my hands onto the floor. Of course he could read English, Just my fucking luck. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I seized in my seat and whipped around to look at him. Eyes wide in shock and horror at his sudden appearance during my inner musings. So I mustered the only thing I could, an upset whining question.
"WHY?!" Was all I could splutter out before I reached down and picked my phone up.
I blew on the screen, checking it for any scratches or dings. It was new and my parents would kill me if I broke it during the first day of school. Finding nothing out of order I placed it back down on my desk with a grumble. I was really not liking Shuichi very much at that moment. He was a little nosy and took way too much amusement in my discomfort. I had never met someone who seemed to enjoy mundane irritations like he was. Small talk, role call, getting lost, startling a classmate, making them drop their phone...he wasn’t out to get me, was he? Okay, maybe I was getting a bit paranoid. Time to roll this back a bit.
"I'm sorry." Shuichi laughed out, not sorry at all.
His stupid perfect hair moved like silk over his shoulders at the motion. Ass. He could at least have the decency to look sorry or even a little bad about making me drop my precious phone. He continued to look at me as if he was waiting for me to answer his initial question. Wait, what was his initial question again? Flipping my phone over I saw my google search bar reading ‘Yu Yu Hakusho’. Right, he had been asking about what that was. At least the name of the anime wasn’t someone’s name or something more obvious. It was a bit tongue in cheek if you understood the reference, but if I was actually in that world, which I still refused to believe or give credence to, it wouldn’t mean much of anything to anyone. All it meant was white book of melancholy, hardly meaningful to anyone significant in the story. I think. I hoped.
"Uhh, nothing, just something I heard on the way to school. I was curious as to what it was." I said as I stared at the back of my phone with a frown.
Stupid google, this is all google's fault.
"Doesn't look like it's bringing up results." He said with the same amused soft smile.
"No...it doesn't." I paled as I threw the offending contraption into my book bag haphazardly.
It was best I just get through the rest of the day with my head down. Any more thoughts about being inside any anime were put on hold for my own sanity. Shuichi was just Shuichi, simple as that. I wasn’t some reincarnated person, I was just a dedicated student trying to focus on my studies. Everything was completely and perfectly normal here. Minus the fact I was going through life for a second time that is.
~Break~
Yeah that was a tough day to say the least...it was not a good day, nope, it was a pretty shit day. I still refused to believe I was in a fictional world...Even if Yu Yu Hakusho didn't exist here, it didn't mean I was in that particular universe. It didn't even mean Shuichi was, well, Kurama either. All it meant was I wasn't in my own world anymore and I had already assumed that. The year difference, the lack of popular headlines and world events, the complete lack of shows I knew as well as artists. Now that it dawned on me it seemed so obvious. But the question was of course now being, where was I and how was I? I suppose just plain why as well but who cares about that right now. I had more pressing matters to deal with, like getting through another school day. Definitely not concerned if my deskmate was a demon who controlled plants.
"Is your phone behaving today?" Shuichi questioned as he took up his seat next to me.
He was perfectly kempt as usual. Kind of irritating that everything seemed to come so easily to him. This was my second time around and I still found myself struggling at times. Ugh, I was just angry because I hadn’t finished my coffee yet. I looked down as I swirled the tumbler in my hand. The smell calmed my nerves ever so slightly, it always did. A remnant of my old life as a university student I’m sure.
"As much as it can." I shrugged, exhausted from staying up all night on google.
I took a warm sip of my drink hoping to leech some semblance of life from it. The roasted bitter taste coated my tongue, sweeter than it should be I knew. But for me, it blended together perfectly and made me feel as if my world wasn’t turned upside down. I took another sip, letting out a pleased hum as I sunk into my seat and closed my eyes for one blissful moment.
"Should you really be having coffee?" Shuichi’s eyebrow was raised in question, but his small smile spoke volumes.
"Keep being nosy and find out what happens if I don't have it." I glared at him and his aberrant red hair.
He laughed at my weak threat, thoroughly amused by it and I went back to nursing the aforementioned beverage. It seemed as if the only time he was interested in me was when he was embarrassing me. It made me feel bitter again as I took another deep sip. A frown etched into my face catching his interest in an instant.
"I didn't mean to offend." He was still smiling warmly and I couldn't help but smile back just a little bit.
Despite how much his presence ruined my re-life, life again, new life? Eh, whatever, it didn’t really matter what I called it, it was still my life either way. Anyways, despite how much his presence was the root of all my troubles, he was still a kind classmate. Who wouldn't smile back if they were in my shoes. I didn’t want to be rude or refuse any kindness at this point. I was still dead set on making at least one friend in junior high. Annoyance be damned, I was still refusing to believe I was anywhere near being in the Yu Yu Hakusho world so I bore down on the thought that he was simply Shuichi and could be my friend if I wanted him to be. Unless he actually was Kurama, then I could be in a lot of danger. While he looked much like any other 13 year old boy, there was a hard edge to him that was hard to really shake. Every smile he gave, even if genuine, felt hollow in a way. Like a pretence or a mask. Like I was watching someone trying to mimic what they thought was a smile, a human smile.
I couldn't help myself though as my smile faded into a thin pressed line of determination as I took a moment to really look at him. His eyes were a deep shade of green, his hair was a much darker red than mine. No, not darker, truer, it was a truer red. He was tall for a 13 year old, and lithe. He looked like a child still, same as me, but there was something about the way he carried himself. It reminded me of me a little bit, as if everything while new in execution, it wasn’t in theory. Not to mention he did look an awful lot like...
"You ok?" Shuichi asked and I blinked owlishly as I came back down to earth.
"Huh?" I asked, eloquent as always.
"You've been staring intently at me for the past five minutes.” He said as he gave me a funny look.
"Oh, umm, sorry, I was just lost in my thoughts..." I was probably blushing, damn this prepubescent body.
"It's ok, I was almost wondering if you had fallen asleep." He chuckled as he looked away.
I never got a chance to respond as the bell rang and our first class of the day began. I wasn’t sure if I was thankful for the interruption or not. It felt like my inspection of him had crossed some sort of unspoken line, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he looked at everything much the same way I did; as if he was growing up for the second time around. That thought scared me more than I cared to admit. Not because it would mean he was Kurama, but because that meant whatever had happened to me wasn’t a freak accident. That there were others like me.
~Break~
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. It was full of loads of homework, long school days, and getting used to the fact I was probably in Yu Yu Hakusho; although I still refused to acknowledge it. Something about finally admitting that felt too raw right now, like admitting defeat or that being normal for once just wasn’t going to happen. I mean, being reincarnated at anypoint anywhere made normalcy a little tough to accomplish. What was I to do but duck my head and avoid the inevitable.
Shuichi was a fine desk mate. He was always on time, respectful of my space, and was quiet. He made it easy to ignore the growing realisation of where I was and who he could be. He hadn’t embarrassed me again during the following days either, making my growing irritation with him disappear entirely. His enjoyment of the mundane continued as he seemed to be most at ease with everything I found boring about life. It was almost nice, if not for the one downside. The one downside being the amount of girls he started unintentionally collecting. They would often follow him around, ask him out during lunch, or give him all sorts of baked goods. It was getting tiring considering I was pretty sure one of them kept pelting me with paper balls during class. Shuichi was too polite and pretty to not be adored I suppose, but it didn’t make being his deskmate any easier that’s for sure. I'm positive I became public enemy number one for the seating arrangement.
Since nothing...demony had occurred I had started to chalk up my whole ordeal as some sort of coma trip, or drug trip, or just straight up mixing things up in my whole...reincarnation. Yu Yu Hakusho was probably never even a show to begin with. That hope kept me going through each school day. That and keep your head down, focus on learning. It was almost like a mantra at this point, one that was slowly starting to crumble away at me each day.
Bang!
I was startled out of my thoughts at some of the students slamming the classroom door. With a curse I dropped my notebook smacking Shuichi's knee in the process. Feeling the embarrassment flooding into me I couldn’t help but falter in grabbing my book and apologising for hitting him with my book. I wasn’t sure which one I should do first and sort of stalled halfway between reaching and sitting there looking at Shuichi. Shit, I needed to do something before this got weird too.
With a quick english swear I bent down to pick up my notebook when my finger collided with Shuichi's, who had also coincidently moved to retrieve the fallen object. And what a coincidence it was as I felt a zap and a warmth spread through my body. I quickly recoiled and it disappeared leaving me feeling empty and cold. Holding my hand to my chest I looked up at Shuichi in confusion, my eyes searching his equally curious ones. But there was an edge there now as he looked down at me, his own hand pulled tight to his side. I was struck by the sudden urge to apologise, for what though, I didn’t know. Instead, I floundered for an exit so I could flee this discomfort instead.
"I uh, thanks, I'm going to go get a..." I didn't know what to say so I just stood up, grabbed my bag, and walked out of the classroom.
I didn't have to look at him to feel the ice in his stare as his gaze followed me. Smooth. That wasn’t super obvious at all. I walked briskly (ran) to the girls bathroom and stood at the sink breathing deeply trying to shake the chill away. I splashed some water on my flushed face, I didn't really know why, it just seemed to be the thing people did in moments like these. The rush of cold soothed my reddened skin, but did nothing for my panic however. Everything in my body felt like seizing as I fought to calm my panicked breaths.
What the fuck was that?
It felt like I was on fire and I had this tugging from the pit of my stomach that made me feel like vomiting. Jesus fucking Christ, that couldn't have been normal...but he didn't seem to notice...right? Right? Oh god what was I going to do if he felt it too? Would he blame me for it? Why wouldn’t he, I felt like blaming myself actually. Why did I have to drop my book, why did I have to touch his bare hand. Why did I have to be reincarnated here! Ugh!
'Fake it till you make it' I suddenly heard my mother, the previous one, utter in my head.
Her perfectly pronounced words echoed making me feel even sicker. I was not good at acting at all, it was one of the reasons my father convinced my mother to remove me from pageants. I was absolute garbage at it. It's also probably why I never place well in dance. I was more interested in other things, finding my interests pulling me elsewhere until I had quit both entirely. I took a moment to collect myself. Well, as much as someone in my situation could, and then left the bathroom only to find myself nose to nose with Shuichi.
Oh fuck me. He looked intensely at me. I could see a rage simmering beneath the surface as his eyes bore into mine. What was once a beautiful emerald green shimmering with amusement became a dark inky forest green. They threatened to swallow me whole and I felt my knees weaken. I swallowed and took a step back only to have Shuichi reach out and grasp my arm, hard. There was no sensation this time beyond pain, the skin on his hand blocked by my uniform. Silver linings and all that.
"I think we should talk." His eyes looked incredibly dark and dangerous.
I suddenly felt like I was 5 again. His stance was closed off, his other hand fisted at his side, the knuckles turning a nice shade of 'I'm going to beat your head in school days' style' white. Oh god please no, please don't do this. I had a simple life, normal life, don't put me here, I'll end up eaten by something! There was no way I could survive being in Yu Yu Hakusho, there was no way anyone would care if I didn’t. Other than my parents, and they could be killed just as easily too. I needed to focus before I gave myself away. I looked up at him trying to hold myself from running like I so desperately wanted too.
"I...uh...sure..." I said, tripping over my words as he tilted his head in a silent order to follow him.
Letting go on my arm he started walking down the hallway not even bothering to see if I was still following. This time he wasn't gliding, he was stalking. I felt so much like prey I almost didn’t follow, but knew I had little choice. He was going to make me follow whether I wanted to or not. So, I followed him through the halls and up the stairs of my own volition, counting every single one in an attempt to still my beating heart. It was kind of like counting sheep, except instead of getting sleepy I was getting vomity. I couldn't remember a time I felt this close to death, in fact I couldn't even remember the one time I died. Did it feel like this? I hope not, this felt awful . He led me to the roof and he closed the door, placing himself in front of it silently. I hadn't even seen him move. One minute I had followed him onto the roof, the next I heard the door click shut and he was behind me with his looming presence.
I was fucked.
"So...I hope this isn't your way of confessing to me...it's a touch axe murderish." I was chuckling awkwardly.
I crack stupid jokes when I'm anxious, stupid! It was a stupid thing to say! I was going to die and my last words were an anxious one liner. How embarrassing. Please don't let me remember this in my next life! Maybe he would find me utterly charming and let this slide? He wasn't laughing, not even a smile. He looked grim. Shit, he didn’t find my comment amusing. His lips pressed in thin lines and his eyes narrowed. Guess I really wasn't that lucky. He suddenly looked very predatory. His once good boy charm had slipped away leaving me feeling like a very small rabbit in the big old forest. He was hardened in a way that frightened me on a primal level. The little piece of my brain that was still wild animal screaming at me to get away from him before I was done for.
"Who are you?" Shuichi pressed, walking towards me.
He moved soundlessly and I could feel the strength waft off him in waves. His shoulders were perfectly square and I couldn't help but marvel just how strong he suddenly looked. What was once a lithe 13-year-old suddenly looked like the lumberjack from Snow White, and I was pretty sure he wanted to cut out my heart. Unlike Snow White I would not be spared, I would not be given refuge by seven dwarves, and I would most definitely not be finding my prince. Every step towards me he took I winced. I couldn’t help it, he was intimidating and fucking knew it. Using whatever edge his young body had and maximising it by a thousand. I needed to get him to believe that I didn’t know what was going on, that I was harmless to him.
"Anastasia, you know that." I echoed out trying to appear as small as possible.
Maybe if I looked real innocent and doe like, he'll let me slip away to meet some dwarves. Maybe I’d even be spared the poison apple if I looked pathetic enough. The deepening of his frown said otherwise though as the panic began to spread through my limbs. I could feel the electric impulses urging me to move, take flight and escape. He wasn’t buying anything I said, frown deepening as he continued to stalk towards me.
"Don't lie to me." His tone was icy and I shuddered as if I could feel it.
He was a hair's breadth away from me now, I could see his breath twisting out as he breathed in the crisp April air. He smelled of petrichor in June. You know, when the plants are their greenest and the pavement gets so hot it bakes your bare feet until the moment it rains? Yeah, that's the smell of petrichor in June. I couldn’t help but take in a deep breath as the panic swirled around me till I felt strangled. I had nowhere to run and my nerves were jumping causing my muscles to twitch. Everything was still screaming at me to run, but I had nowhere I could go. He had crowded me in after I had frozen, unable to do much else. I just needed to get him to understand, please just understand!
"It is, I swear! It's the only name I've got!" I said, tone begging as I pleaded with my eyes.
What I said was technically true, I didn't remember my previous name at all. Lost in that cascade of picture perfect memories when I died. It was clear he wasn’t buying it though as his eyes narrowed even further. I was so fucking screwed, shit. My panic grew to extreme lengths as I felt my head growing light. I think I was holding my breath as I stared at him unblinking, just pleading within my mind to believe me. To let me go.
"What was that in the classroom then?" He looked mad now, madder than I had ever seen anyone be.
No, scratch that, he looked furious, furious and deadly. He was the predator and I was the prey. Nothing I knew was going to spare me from what he could do to me if he really wanted too. I could only hope I could get him to believe me somehow. Desperation clawed its way through me and I wanted to both scream obscenities at him and beg for him to not hurt me. I definitely didn’t like Shuichi now.
"What was what?" I asked, feigning ignorance.
It was stupid move, I knew it was, but I couldn't help it. Not only was I smart ass by nature, I was also freaking the ever living fuck out. He had me flipped and pressed against the door in seconds, his arm against my neck thudding deeply against my clavicle. I felt my bones wane the slightest at his strength and gasped. I was beginning to ache already from how he had me pressed against the door in fear. He was positively seething as he all but snarled his next question into my hair.
"I will not ask again, what was that? It felt like you pulled a piece of my soul out for a mere second." I could feel the heat from his arm contrasting against the cold metal of the door.
It was then I realised I didn't have my jacket and that I was so close to him, that to anyone looking, it looked as if we were kissing. Focus. What had he said again? Pulling a piece of his soul out? So that's what that was...I should probably pay attention; he looks really unimpressed. I didn’t really want to die because my mind kept wandering. A flood of information exploding through my mind and feeding the frenzy of anxious thoughts.
"Pay attention." He said, tilting his head till his breath brushed my cheek and I flinched.
His skin was touching mine now and I couldn't think. I suddenly felt very warm, too warm. I felt the pull at my stomach increase until I felt like I was going to burst. The world started to spin, and just as the ink blots had almost covered my vision, I felt nothing but the cold harsh spring air. The air in my lungs punched out as I felt myself give a stuttering breath. The cloying feeling wrapped around me like a loving noose and I couldn’t figure out if I wanted whatever was going to stop or continue. A brush of something against the deepest parts of me caused a shiver until it settled with a snap, leaving me feverish.
But the smell of petrichor lingered.
He let me go so suddenly I sagged against the door and slid to the ground. My head was swimming and I feared I was going to die just from the proximity. I couldn't grasp any singular thought. The sudden warmth I had experienced abandoning me and leaving me a sobbing mess. The fearful anger on his face burned me as he pulled away, eyes never leaving mine. He was wary now, but no longer looking quite as dangerous. He was a live wire I wanted to touch so I could capture that feeling again, but I wouldn't dare. His eyes narrowed as he stopped crowding me, moving back to give us both some space.
"What are you doing?" He accused, his hand was reaching for his hair.
Why was he doing that? I knew it was dangerous, but I couldn't remember why. What was it about his hair? I couldn’t stop the whining panic from taking root on my body. Whatever had happened left me a broken vulnerable mess. I was groggy, sloppily tired as I tried to parse through my scattered thoughts. All I could think was ‘what was that?’ and ‘did I hurt him?’. It was clear now where I was and who Shuichi really was.
"I don't know." I choked out trying to get my bearings.
I felt pathetic. What good was it to be in a world you watched on TV if you were garbage at remembering any of it. Don't cry, don't cry, he'll probably eat you...I am a big strong woman in the body of a 13-year-old, I can do this. And I was totally crying. I bit back a sob and looked up and as sincerely as I could, uttered out a meek 'I don't know' again. I don't even know if he heard me muttering through sobs anymore. I felt the snot start to clog my nose and gave a gross and wet sniff. I was repeating myself at this point as I shut my eyes so tight I saw starburst. When nothing happened I opened my eyes and found him still staring down at me. His lips were pressed together so tightly they almost disappeared. His hand had stilled at the nape of his neck. He was staring hard at me now, but his thoughts seemed elsewhere. I was definitely plant bait, or fertiliser as it were.
'You know the kinda eats,
The kinda red hot treats
The kinda sticky licky sweets
I crave'
I couldn't help the tune that was sung in my head.
'Oh Kurama, don't be like Seymour.' I begged silently.
Kurama looked down at me and sighed. I felt elation in my chest, maybe I'd make it to my 14th birthday yet! His hand left his hair, devoid of man eating plants, and he stilled for a moment. He seemed to be debating with himself. Kneeling he hesitantly reached out for me, his hand lightly brushing mine. It was as if he was testing something, his skin slowly splaying against mine as he increased the contact. The same warmness spread, but not as strongly this time. I felt the pull at my stomach hum and I started to see spots again. The previous emotional sorrow I felt lifted away as the warmth spread through me without end. He let out a hum as he left my hand tighter, his palm pressed against the back of my hand.
"Your soul is reacting to mine, so is your spirit energy, as small as it is." Kurama explained increasing the pressure of our contact.
His brows knitted together in concentration, but all I could think was how warm he felt. I could feel a sort of simmering power rippling across my flesh before settling deep into my bones. I wasn’t sure what it meant, too mesmerised by the feel of his hand and the never ending warmth that was stemming from it.
"I...what does that mean?" I asked, voice breathy and high.
If I was in a better state of mind I'd probably have thought to sound more surprised than I was at the mention of spirit energy, but could you blame me? I was attempting to focus on his words and not pass out.
"I'm not sure, but it's concerning. I've never heard about anything like this happening before." Kurama looked quizzical now, almost child-like in his wonder, his hand tracing mine now in awe.
The warmth snapped and Kurama jolted back, rocking on the balls of his feet, his eyes were wide in surprise. I felt faint but a lot more stable than before as the colour was fading back into the world. The pulling in my stomach was replaced with a dull humming and I was worried that whatever happened had killed me.
"What was that?" I asked in a panic, patting myself down to ensure I was still solid.
I felt terrified now. Everything had changed in an instant leaving me cold once more as I tried to make sense of the past few minutes. Would he blame me for that too? I hoped not since he was the one who initiated the contact. He looked calm and collected as he took in my dishevelment. It was bizarre that I felt so wrecked by this but he was absolutely fine.
"That would be a tether...I think." He looked equally concerned.
His eyes crinkled in a way that seemed unfair, someone so beautiful shouldn't have such a look. Wait, no, hormones stop. Focus now. I needed answers and I needed them while Kurama was being forthcoming.
"Tether?" I managed to get out, I needed to stay on topic for once.
"I think your soul, and mine, just finished synchronising and tethered." Kurama explained as he levelled me with a look.
Oh dear, this wasn't going to end well. I could already feel how desperately I was going to hate what was coming next.
"I still don't follow." I sobbed, I wanted to go home, go cry into a tub of ice cream and mourn everything I seemed to have lost.
~Break~
We never really got to talk all that much more about what had happened because the bell had rung the very moment I asked. Kurama had issued an apology and helped me up with a sudden tenderness that contrasted so starkly from the Kurama he had shown me previously. It was clear whatever happened used up a lot of spirit energy, or so Kurama explained as he helped me to class. Apparently I had started to draw on his spirit energy when I found myself without any. It was almost instinctual; the minute we had connected my body started to use his reserves so I didn't die from the phenomena that had just occurred.
It was kind of handy actually, too bad it did nothing for the wounds I received from his anger. Or help me with the pop quiz we were met with in class upon our return. I was nursing a nasty bruise on my back from hitting the door, and Kurama was spending the class ignoring me with a very grim look on his face. He wasn't pleased and I could tell he felt guilty for hurting me. Every time I winced he would purse his lips and sit straight like a board. I felt bad, I mean, I know it wasn't my fault, but I still felt...responsible. If only I had chosen any other school.
'Go to a private school' they said 'It will enrich your life! Broaden your horizons…'
Ugh.
I turned to look at him and he was staring at me. His eyes held such an intensity I felt like squirming. He slipped a note and turned back to the teacher. I couldn't help but notice how much older he looked now that I had finally relented that he was indeed Kurama. I mean, yeah he was young, but the way he held himself…how could I have not realised who he was sooner. Unfolding the note I tried to discreetly read it. I'm not sure if the Teacher noticed or just didn't care, but my hands were so shaky it was a wonder no one called me on it at all. I winced as I heard a particularly loud crinkle and ducked my head to read the note.
'Meet me after school'
This wasn't going to end well, shit, maybe he still wanted me dead after all. If Kurama noticed my panic he never said anything, opting to finish the rest of the school day as if nothing had happened at all. It only made me even more anxious how nonchalant he was being. My mind circled the question of why he wanted to meet with me after school for the rest of the day without rest.
~Break~
He met me just outside the gates and suggested we head to his place since his mother was still at work for a few more hours. I agreed, if only to not further piss off the plant master. I was starting to feel a little better finally, after spending the day lethargic and dozing in class. I imagined it was because of the energy I had 'stolen' from Kurama throughout the day. He didn't live too far from the school; it was clear he lived in a nice neighbourhood. I mean, don't get me wrong, I lived in a nice place as well, but Kurama lived in a neighbourhood of houses while I lived further down town in a condo.
I could feel he was on edge. I don't think he trusted me all that well, not that I blamed him. The whole thing seemed insane and impossible. If I were him I'd have blamed myself thoroughly. I'm pretty sure the only reason I wasn't dead was because we didn't know if it meant his untimely end as well. Which...wasn't a good thing. As far as I remembered Kurama was an integral part of the team, and without him, Yusuke would have died long before they could subdue all the big baddies. Shit, I could literally mean the end to this world. Great.
As we approached his house, I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to visit his home in any other circumstance. Would it have been on a happier note? Would we have been doing homework together, elbow to elbow? Would I have blushed with a juvenile crush? Would we have been friends? Classmates? That line of thinking only served to make me feel sour. The idea that I may never get the chance to find out if we could actually be friends was a very real possibility.
He unlocked his front door and invited me in, a perfect gentleman. I took my shoes off and donned the visitor slippers and waited awkwardly as he led me up the stairs and into his room. His home wasn't large, clearly a start up home his parents must have bought together long ago. It had 3 bedrooms located on the top floor. All I could see of the first floor was a decently sized living room leading into what looked to be a kitchen merged with a dining area. His room however was located furthest from the landing. It was simple, clean, and not at all what I pictured.
I don't really know what I pictured, but I expected more plants, not a plain full-sized bed with blue blankets with 2 matching pillows perched perfectly at the top of the bed, a simple computer and books on a computer desk, and a picture of him with his mother that looked recent. A long dresser was against the far wall and he had what looked to be a small closet that was closed and had an extra school shirt hanging from the knob. It was so plain for someone who had threatened me like he did at school.
"I would appreciate your attention considering the current state of affairs." He sighed trying not to sound as annoyed as he was.
He was being gentle with me now, I couldn't help the bitter feeling at the thought that this was all because of the circumstances and not because he gave two shits about me. It kind of sucked knowing you were a burden and not a choice. The beginning of a begrudging friendship of forced necessity and nothing more. There was a lot I wanted to say, but knew it wasn’t the best idea to waste whatever time we had before his mom came home.
"Sorry, I space easily." My lips tilted slightly as I gave a shrug, trying to be diplomatic.
"I never noticed." Was that a joke? Maybe there was a chance yet?
"So... you wanted to talk?" That got his look to change to a more serious one.
He motioned for me to sit down and I took a seat on his computer chair, feeling his bed was a touch too intimate for 'Classmates who just got their souls connected to each other forever'. It wasn’t proper but I also just didn’t trust him yet either. Again, he had just threatened me not too long ago. Soul tether or not, I wasn’t going to sit next to someone I barely knew or trusted and on their bed no less.
"Yes, this is concerning...I don't know if you can feel it but our souls are now on the same wavelength. I can feel your...existence with startling clarity." Kurama made a flourish with his hands as he tried to explain it as delicately as he could.
I was probably a pretty loud existence. Huh, that must have been that weird buzzing I felt in my gut. Why was his existence so quiet then? Or was I just spiritually deaf as it were?
"Why or how I have no idea, it's never happened before. At least, not that I know of." He finished with a sigh.
He had sat down on his bed as he stared intently at me. His fingers clasped together in thought under his chin and he regarded me coolly for a moment. He was still in his school uniform, perfectly pressed. Why was he always so put together? My hair was a mess, my skin coated with dried sweat, I felt cold and hot all at the same time. It was entirely unfair. I could be at home finished with my shower and enjoying the rest of my day. Instead I was sitting uncomfortably in Kurama’s room wondering if I was even going to be allowed to go home.
"What does this mean?" I decided to get through this so I could go home, vomit, and then go to bed.
A change from my 'Crying into a tub of icecream' plan, but still a good one.
"Honestly? I have no idea, it could mean nothing, it could mean our lives are linked, it could mean we will feel what the other feels." He elaborated as he spread his hands out and gave me a small smile, an encouraging smile.
"I... hope not." I gulped knowing what his future held.
I really didn't want to feel what he felt, and I really REALLY didn't want to be his liability. I knew at some point it would just make Kurama feel bitter about me, and I still kind of wanted him to be my friend. He was, after all, the only person in school who even spoke to me at this point.
"Your spirit energy is also growing at an alarming rate from being near me, it must have been happening all along but accelerated at our proximity." He motioned for me to sit down in his computer chair.
There was something he wasn't telling me, but I didn't have the energy to argue. I took a moment to sit back against the chair exhausted, trying not to slump too hard into it. I didn’t want to add breaking his chair to the list of things I had done today.
"That...makes sense, I mean, I've been zapping your spirit energy all day… but... what now?" It didn't actually make sense, I remember almost nothing from the anime, except a basic plot outline, I literally had zero idea what he was talking about.
I didn't even understand what spirit energy was, technically I wasn't even from this world. I suddenly felt so frustrated by the missing pieces. I had all the makings of a terrible fanfiction. Fantastic. Just fantastic. Complete with the isekai trope and all.
"Now...I need to tell you about demons." He sat up straight and looked just as uncomfortable as I felt.
He was 100% serious. Great, so they were real too I guess. I wonder how much the show got right and how much knowing the future was going to become a problem. Either way I wasn’t going to be going home anytime soon. Fuck me. Why couldn't I have been reincarnated into Harry Potter post-war? Or Fruits Basket? Well, I guess it could be worse. I could have ended up in the Hunger Games world instead I suppose.
~Break~
He had just finished explaining that he was Youko Kurama, previously thief extraordinaire, gave me a quick run down about how he had died and then decided to stay for his mother Shiori, and that demons were drawn to humans with spirit energy. It had been an hour long explanation because I kept asking questions and being a complete and utter useless mess.
I remember thinking I was dead, so dead. Ok not dead, there was a good chance that if I died Kurama would as well, so this became our little secret. The first of many. I felt awful, he was forced to be my demon bodyguard. It felt wrong to solely depend on him. So I had urged him to teach me how to use my energy. It was the least I could try to do if I was suddenly thrust into a dangerous world without realising it.
~Break~
"Wait, you guys were linked this whole time?" Kuwabara uttered out, confused.
"Shut up you idiot, we are trying to listen!" Yusuke shouted back as someone smacked Kuwabara upside the head. “Wait, were you guys linked this whole time?”
“Yes, obviously, haven’t you been paying attention? She just explained it.” Botan said with a frown as she smacked Kuwabara and Yusuke upside the head for good measure.
"If I can continue?" I spat out bristling as I eyed my audience daring them to interrupt again.
~Chapter 1 End~