Resha sighed as she ran a hand through her silky red hair. It was Saturday, which means the last day of school this week (Yes, people in Japan HAVE school on Saturday... Ugh,). She packed all the books she will need into her backpack and closed the locker. 'What a day...' heaving another sigh, the red head turned around. Her violet eyes met light gray ones and she took a step back, her back pressing against the metal locker.
"Did I scare ya?" the owner of the gray eyes, a girl just slightly shorter than Resha, grinned.
The red haired teen frowned. "No, you just surprised me." she stated matter-of-factly and threw the bag over her shoulder.
Her friend rolled her eyes. "Do you always have to have a smart-ass answer?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do." Resha smirked. "How was your day, Tsuyu?" she questioned as they both exited the crowded school building and began their walk down the street.
The girl, Tsuyu, raised her hand to her head and pulled at the dark blue ribbon, letting her wild brown hair to fly freely against her shoulders. "Ah, you know..." she started, searching for the right words before ending as always, "The usual."
"So, you fell asleep on Math, then had a great time during English and Japanese, and then were deathly scared of Science, huh?" Resha smirked as her friend groaned beside her. "Seriously, you should get more sleep during the night, Tsuyu,"
"Well, I would, but..." Tsuyu's sentence was interrupted by a sudden yawn "I was busy."
"Busy." Resha repeated boldly. "In the middle of the night."
"Yeah..." the brunette mumbled, looking at the floor. She prayed that the curious red head wouldn't push the topic further. It must've been her lucky day, because Resha just shrugged her shoulders.
"Hey... What're you doing tomorrow?" Tsuyu asked suddenly, hoping her voice was as casual as she wanted it to sound.
"I'm not sure, though I might be working," Resha responded, thinking hard "Hmmm... Matsumoto-san could come down with a fever today; he was feeling ill since Thursday... Why?"
"Oh, no reason. Just bored and wanted to hang out, I guess..." Tsuyu cleared her throat.
"Tsuyu..." Resha began, gazing at her friend "What's wrong?"
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong, Resh, really!" the red head twitched at the nickname. After taking another glance at the girl, Resha gave up and stopped prying.
"I'll call you later and tell you if I'm free tomorrow, is that okay?" she spoke up.
"Sure, that's cool," Tsuyu suddenly looked up. "Aw crap! I missed my turn! Hey, what are you laughing at? You did that on purpose!!" she pointed an accusing finger at her chuckling friend "I'll be late for dinner!! Damn! Gotta go, Resh, remember to call me!" she turned and began walking back hurriedly "Though I doubt you'll have the slightest chance to forget," she mumbled to herself.
Resha chuckled softly before resuming her walk. Her eyes set forward; she lost herself into her thoughts. All of a sudden, her head snapped up as a strange chill ran up and down her spine. Resha turned to look at her right as the feeling became stronger, more powerful. Putting her guard up, the girl took few steps in its direction, but as she blinked; the sensation vanished without a trail.
'Strange...' she mused, but decided to shrug it off and act as if nothing happened.
Tsuyu stretched. It'd been only half an hour when she decided to force herself to do homework. 'Who the hell was the genius that though teaching innocent kids something more than counting to /one/ hundred was funny?!' She groaned under her breath, numbers dancing and doubling in her eyes 'I want to send him a box of chocolate. Filled with Black Mamba's poison.'
Finally giving up, Tsuyu threw the pen away and fell down on the couch heavily. She grabbed the joystick when the telephone rang.
"Hullo?" she mumbled, throwing a bubble gun in the air and catching it into her mouth.
"Hello, Tsuyu," a voice said calmly. Tsuyu froze. "What are you doing?"
"Uhh... I'm studying." The dark haired girl uttered, glad that the person couldn't see her face.
Then, as if on cue, the TV screen made a loud sound, announcing the start of a racing game Tsuyu was about to play. The girl gulped loudly.
"Oh, yes? Then what was that sound, hmm?"
"Er... Oh, the TV suddenly turned on," Tsuyu giggled nervously "Stupid little thing..."
For a couple of seconds there was silence on the other line. "So, what are you doing?"
"Okay, okay, sheesh!" Tsuyu put the joystick down, feeling defeated... again. "I was about to play a game!"
"I see," the person sighed "What about the -"
"Like hell I would touch math today!" Tsuyu sputtered "Honestly, Resha, -"
"I promised I'd call," Resha interrupted "And I did. I'm free tomorrow, Matsumoto-san is feeling fine."
"Hu- Oh yeah?" the brown haired girl grinned to herself "So, whaddya say we'd hang out tomorrow?"
"Where?"
"Hmm..." Tsuyu pretended to think, not able to get that sly smirk off her face "I don't know, maybe we'll go to the Mall, or... We'll see,"
"Oh okay," Resha uttered "What hour?"
"12 AM."
"Alright. See you tomorrow, then."
"Yeah..." Tsuyu hung up and smiled to herself "You're a great actress, Miss Minamino."
Resha Saotome sighed as she glanced at her watch for the millionth time. 12:30. 'Late as always...'
"RESHAAA!!"
The red head turned around abruptly, crossing her arms. There was Tsuyu alright, running towards her like crazy. Her hair was all messy and it looked as if she hadn't slept properly.
"Finally, what took you so -" Resha paused; behind her friend, another figure was heading her way, much taller than Tsuyu. The person had long, flamely red hair and was dressed in an elegant fashion.
"Yo, Resh!" Tsuyu waved, yawning openly "Sorry for the delay. I had to wait for the Prince Charming here," she nodded towards the other person.
"Not true. I had to wait for you to get up and get dressed." finally, Resha was able to see their face. Her eyes went slightly wide.
It was a boy, a young man about her age. He was tall, slightly taller than she was. As she noticed earlier, he had long red hair and the brightest emerald green eyes she'd ever seen. On his face, there was a soft, serene smile that could calm everyone's nerves in an instant.
"Oh, hello," the boy spoke. Resha blinked, regaining her composure after the short dazed state. "You are Saotome, Resha, correct?"
"Yes, that's me," Resha eyed him discreetly. She was sure she'd seen someone like him a long time ago... "And you are...?"
"Oh, sorry. I'm Shuichi, Tsuyu's cousin." The teen introduced, exchanging his hand. Resha shook it, nodding her head. 'Must've seen him on Tsuyu's pictures or something...'
"I brought dear Shuichi here, because he just arrived yesterday and I wanted to be the kind cousin that I am and show him the town a bit!" Tsuyu clapped her hands together, grinning. "Hope you don't mind, Resha-Mate," without waiting for a response, she continued, "So, what should we do now?"
Resha shrugged. "Anything is okay with me."
"Shuichi, you didn't see the Mall yet!" Tsuyu beamed "Let's go!"
The red haired girl groaned quietly. 'Okay, I lied – the Mall is OUT!'
>>
"Whee! This is going to be so much fun ~!"
"I beg to differ," Resha growled to herself. Shuichi caught that and chuckled,
"Not too fond of Malls, eh?" he questioned.
"Nope," she sighed, casting him a side-way glance. His green eyes were set forward, a small smile playing on his lips. There was something about him... Something familiar...
'She noticed you yesterday,' a voice called out in the back of his mind.
Huh? When?
'You should be more careful, Detective,' the spirit inside him uttered carelessly 'You nearly ran into her when you were chasing that other demon. Though, I wouldn't mind the slightest,' Youko chuckled.
Pervert.
'Aren't we quick and clever...'
"SHUICHII!!"
Kurama, AKA Shuichi nearly jumped in surprise. He blinked and glanced at his cousin, who was staring at him with amusement. Resha also was staring at him, a small frown on her face.
"Hearing voices in your head, eh, Cuz?" Tsuyu joked, grinning knowingly.
"Did you say something?" Shuichi asked, ignoring her last question; Tsuyu knew about Youko ever since she caught him changing into the silver-haired fox demon. She kept nagging him about it and finally, after an agreement from Koenma, he told her the truth about him. She promised to keep it a secret, and she did.
"I was asking if you'd want some ice cream?" Tsuyu questioned. She came closer and muttered, so quiet only he could hear, "Say hi from me."
'Hello, dear Tsuyu,'
"Yes, I'd like that," Kurama pretended to look at one of the shop signs closely "He says hi back."
Unnoticed by them, Resha rolled her eyes. 'I'm not as deaf as they apparently think I am,'
"Whew! I'm dead tired!" Tsuyu sighed, sitting down on the bench heavily. "I'm so not moving from here,"
"Well, you shouldn't have been running around the whole Mall, acting like a 5-year-old child," Resha pointed out.
"She aims, she throws and she scores," Tsuyu mumbled to herself, though everyone heard.
"Minamino?" a voice rang from behind her and Tsuyu and Shuichi turned around; Resha followed closely. It was a boy around their age, with very messy black hair and light brown eyes.
"Oh, Maeda, hey," Tsuyu greeted and Resha nodded her greeting; it was Keitaro Maeda, their classmate.
"Sorry for interrupting, but I need to talk to you. Um, now," he uttered. Tsuyu got up and followed him.
"You two go home, I'll be right behind!" she yelled through her shoulder, waving.
As she disappeared behind the corner, Kurama turned to Resha. "Who was that?"
"Maeda, Keitaro. A boy from our class," she answered.
"Oh," Shuichi mumbled, but shook his head, finding his response pretty stupid "So, shall we go?"
"Yeah."
It turned out that Shuichi and Resha have a lot in common; they like the same books, the same movies, the same, bit old songs, they have a similar way of spending their free time and much more. To his surprise, Resha admitted she loved foxes.
They were in the middle of debating whenever the single cloud on the sky looked like a circle or an oval (as it turned out, Tsuyu was the one to teach them this little 'game'), when Kurama froze in his place. A huge wave of reiki came from his right. He faced that direction, his eyes narrowed.
"What's wro–" Resha sensed it, too.
Something rustled in the nearby bushes.
"Stand back, Resha," Kurama took a step forward, running a hand through his long hair; a red rose appeared in his hand.
All of a sudden, something jumped from behind the bushes. It was a tall figure of a very spider-looking man. He had dark gray hair and a short beard; his eyes were small and black. On his body, two pairs of legs were attached; shiny black tongs were ending his skinny arms. Finally, two long fangs were sticking out from his mouth.
Kurama narrowed his eyes further. 'It's the demon I came here for... ' he mused, swishing the rose in his hand; the flower turned into a green whip with spikes.
Resha's eyes had the size of dinner plates. 'Where the hell did THAT come from?! ' her eyes traveled to the strange creature 'And... THAT thing... Is it a... Demon? '
"Boyy..." the creature drawled "Your reiiikiii... Giiive iiit..."
Without a word, Kurama lunged at the demon, his whip ready. The demon had a rough defense, using his sharp tongs to keep safe from the whip's deadly spikes.
"Reiiikiii...!!" it cried out, his arm stretching in the red head's direction. Kurama took the opportunity and leaped forward, gracefully avoiding its tongs and his fist made rough contact with the demon's jaw. One of the sharp fangs fell out, and that seemed to tick the demon off. The demon roared, lifting his other arm and, before Kurama had the chance to jump back, the flat side of the tongs hit him in the shoulder. The red head flew away, landing on the ground. He raised his whip and attacked, but the demon caught it and cut it using his weapon. The spider demon raised its tongs and Kurama tensed.
The next thing he knew was the fang sticking out from the demon's body, its tip soaked with dark red blood. The creature shuddered before crashing on the ground. Kurama looked up; Resha was standing behind the fallen demon, her face stretched in a scowl.
"I hate spiders."
>>
"That was pretty impressive," Shuichi admitted, getting up and dusting his clothes off. The spider demon was tied up and soon fell through a dark purple portal. Resha blinked.
"I won't even ask..." she muttered and Kurama chuckled. The whip transformed back into a rose and he offered the flower to the girl.
"Thanks, but I prefer -"
"Violets, I know," Kurama cut the girl off, smiling.
"How did you know?" the girl asked, amazed.
"Your perfume," he answered simply.
Resha stared at him, eyebrows raised. 'Did I... Overdid it...? ' "So, what was that all about?" she asked casually.
"You don't seem too shocked, do you?" Shuichi questioned, trying to change the topic.
Resha sighed. "Is it in the Minamino genes that you ask such stupid questions to change a discomforting topic?" she uttered, crossing her arms "Why not go straight forward – if you don't want to answer, say it; if you do, please go on."
Kurama blinked, startled. He couldn't tell her the truth; but for some reason, he couldn't say 'no', either.
'Tell her... She's Tsuyu-chan's best friend, eh?' Youko's quiet voice rang from the back of his mind. Kurama sighed, defeated.
"This is going to be a long story..."
"Let's see if I caught everything, okay?" Resha crossed her arms "So basically, there are three worlds; Ningenkai, the Human World, which in we are now, Reikai (Spirit Realm) and Makai, the Demon World. The Wolds are ruled by King Yama, and you work for his son, Koenma, as a 'Spirit Detective', which means you hunt and capture demons or Spirits that somehow got into this world. And the thing that you fought earlier was a low-class spider-like demon, which eats Human reiki, alas the spirit energy possessed by humans. Right?"
Kurama nodded solemnly, amazed by how well she captured his story in simple words. He watched as the girl ran a hand through her reddish hair. What will she do now? Run away? Tell him to see a doctor? Believe...?
For a couple of moments it was silence, when...
"Pretty cool job, eh?"
"W-what?" Kurama stuttered out, caught off-guard.
"Hey, I think it's fascinating," the boy thought she was joking, but there was no sarcasm or skepticism in her voice.
"Resha..."
For a strange reason, Resha felt her heart skipping a beat.
"There's one more thing..." Kurama shifted, tensing.
Resha noticed his nervousness and decided not to push him further. "Do I need to know?"
"Well, not really, but -"
"Then don't tell me."
The red haired boy sent her a relived smile and she smiled back.
Resha had the impression that her stomach floated inside of her as she gazed into his beautiful green eyes... 'Snap out of it, girl!!' she blinked and turned away from him, feeling her face heating up.
"Is everything alright?" Kurama asked, noticing the strange expression that appeared on her face.
"No... I mean, yes, I'm okay," she answered hurriedly, hoping that her bangs shadowed the blush from his view.
'Oooh, she's falling for you!' Youko's laughter echoed in Kurama's head.
She's not that kind, Youko... the red-head replied, glancing at the girl next to him. Not that kind...
>>
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Oh come on, you know what I'm talking about!"
"No, as a matter of fact, I have no idea."
"Resha! I'm talking about, what do you think of him?"
"He's... very nice. A young, polite, -"
"Attractive?"
"Tsuyu!"
It's been almost two weeks since Kurama appeared in their town. He, Resha and Tsuyu were usually hanging together, but since a couple of days, Kurama was meeting up with Resha only, because his cousin started failing Math and Maeda was tutoring her after school.
The first meeting was pretty awkward, but they warmed up to each other soon and could spend hours talking about their hobbies, music, books, school (to Tsuyu's disbelief) and many other topics that seemed endless.
"Please, Resha, you can't fool me there," Tsuyu snorted "Girls are falling heads over heels for him! And I know," she said as Resha was about to interrupt "You aren't like other brainless stalkers and fans of his. That's why he likes you so much."
"I... He doesn't..." Resha was speechless for a moment, but quickly regained her composure "Listen, Tsuyu, I -"
"No, you listen, Saotome Smart-ass Resha," the sternness in her voice made Resha pause "Shuichi is my cousin, and I love him. I'm worried sick when he's getting injured badly during his Detective work. I'm happy when he is. And now I know, whenever he looks at you, whenever he smiles at you; he has it bad. You're the one that makes him happy. And if you're feeling happy with him, just give in and stop resisting. Stop thinking ahead so much and just... Have fun."
The silence stretched between them. The girls sat there, in Tsuyu's dark room, thinking about what's been said just now. Tsuyu was wondering if she wasn't too harsh; Resha was musing if her friend was right.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and the teens jumped, not expecting that at all.
"Co-come in," Tsuyu called out, grabbing the Math book and pretending to study.
It was Shuichi.
"Excuse me for interruption," he uttered softly "Tsuyu, you can stop now."
"Yeah, pick on me 'cause I suck at math!" the brown haired girl shouted with mock-anger, closing the book and throwing it to the side. "Just don't let it become a habit..."
"Ready to go?" the boy turned to Resha, smiling.
"Yes, of course," she got up and smiled back slightly. "Let's go."
She approached him, when Tsuyu called out at them,
"Hey, wait a minute, you two!" her voice was supposed to sound very sternly, but she couldn't hide the amusement. "Minamino, I want her back until 9PM, got that? And no making-out on your first date!"
"TSUYU!" both teens shouted, feeling equally embarrassed.
"What? It isn't your first date? Well then, use protection!"
"Ugh," Resha dragged Kurama out of the room, slamming the door shut and hearing Tsuyu laughing loudly. 'This ISN'T a date... '
"That Tsuyu..." Resha growled under her breath.
"Immature, isn't she?" Kurama chuckled.
"That's a good word to describe her every day behavior,"
"Tell me about it – I grew up with her!"
"Oh, you poor thing," Resha joked, smiling as they came to a stop infront of a small, elegant restaurant. She gulped slightly. 'This ISN'T a date... ' she told herself, almost seeing Tsuyu laugh, 'Yeah, keep telling yourself that!'
The dinner went by pretty fast and lovely. Around evening, when the sun began to settle down under the horizon line, Resha and Kurama exited the restaurant, beaming secretly.
"Let's go for a walk," the girl uttered suddenly, not liking the thought of separating so early.
"Sure," Shuichi agreed, having similar thoughts going through his head.
>>
"How did you meet Tsuyu?" Kurama asked as they walked around aimlessly.
"She bumped into some seniors on the first year of education in our current school," Resha smiled "Needles to say, they weren't too nice about it, so I had to rescue your cousin from certain doom."
"I love the way you speak..." he murmured, then froze. 'I did NOT say that out loud.'
"Pardon?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing," he waved his hand carelessly, ignoring Youko, who was now howling with laughter in his mind.
Kurama and Resha walked side by side, neither of them speaking, but both enjoying the other's company. Suddenly, Resha remembered what Tsuyu had said earlier.
"Whenever he looks at you, whenever he smiles at you; he has it bad."
'It's not true,' she frowned slightly 'He's just being nice, nothing more.' she glanced up at the boy; his face seemed deep in thoughts. Quickly, before he'd caught her staring, she tore her gaze away and continued looking forward. 'Besides, I don't have time for a relationship right now...'
"If you're feeling happy with him, just give in and stop resisting. Stop thinking ahead so much and just... Have fun."
The pregnant silence was making Kurama uneasy. He bit on his lower lip, thinking of a topic they could discuss; it seemed that they discussed everything.
'Kiss her!' Youko whispered slyly.
Wha... I can't do that, Youko! It's... Not right!
'Fine then, you don't know what you're missing,' the fox demon uttered, irritated. 'Grab her hand, then,'
No! She might get offended!
'Trust me, she won't.'
How can you know that?
' I just do, okay? I know everything about females...'
...
'If you won't, I'll do it.' Youko threatened.
Youko...!! No!
'Then DO IT.'
All of a sudden, Resha felt a warm hand covering her own. Startled, she glanced down at the hand, then at the arm and finally, at the owner; Shuichi was watching her reaction from the corner of his eyes with a small, unsure, maybe even nervous smile on his handsome face. Her lips unwillingly stretched into a warm, serene smile and she interlaced her fingers with his, giving him a gentle squeeze.
Kurama felt her squeezing his hand. His smile was reflecting her own now as his eyes locked with her beautiful violet ones... Slowly, he leaned closer, feeling blissfully happy when he noticed her coming closer as well.
Once a gentle breeze
Weaves it's spell upon your heart
No matter what you think
It won't be too long
Til your in my arms
Underneath the starlight - starlight
We'll be lost in the rhythm - so right
Feel it steal your heart tonight...
Slight sparks of electricity seemed to fly between them as their lips connected.
It was the day. Two full weeks had come to an end and Kurama had to return to his Detective duties. He, his cousin Tsuyu and Resha were standing at the train station, waiting for the train to come. Neither of them spoke. He didn't know what to say, Resha seemed deep in thoughts and Tsuyu... Well, she just stood there, glancing at him, then at her friend, then on the floor.
Finally, the train appeared. Shuichi waited for people to get in, wishing he could stay at least a bit longer. He snuck a quick glance at the red head next to him. Resha's face was expressionless, her eyes were unfocused; she let out a quiet sigh, running a hand through her hair.
Kurama bit back a chuckle when he remembered the day before; he and Resha were walking around the town, when suddenly a group of girls appeared in their way. They began to flirt their brains out, fanning their long lashes and flashing him seductive smiles. Annoyed, Resha grabbed his hand and dragged him away, glowering at the group. Her death-glare was pretty impressive; the girls backed out, catching on immediately. 'She's so cute when she's mad or irritated...'
Speaking of which...
Kurama gazed at the girl before him, feeling very uneasy; he didn't want to leave her, not now, not ever. But, he had to. His mother was waiting, and so are thousands of demons just waiting to get their asses kicked and sent to jail by him. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.
"Hey, it's not like we won't see each other some time," Resha uttered quietly, as if trying to convince herself.
"So..."
There was an awkward pause as the two looked into each other's eyes deeply. Kurama didn't know what to say; neither did Resha. They just stood there, people passing them without any interest. It was just the two of them...
"Aw come on, Cuz, kiss her already!!"
Both teens jumped up in surprise and turned their heads towards an innocent-looking Tsuyu, who grinned at them cheerily. Their faces were getting pink as they began to shout at her,
"TSUYU!!"
"We're not –"
"He's just a – "
"In public? That's not –"
"It would be so unbecoming!"
Without any warning, Kurama faced the startled Resha, grabbed her shoulders and leaned forward, his lips crashing against her own gently. The girl's eyes went wide, but when she adjusted herself to the situation (and she did it pretty quickly), she slowly began to kiss him back, softly at first, but when her arms wrapped around his neck, the kiss became more passionate. She felt his own arms sneak around her waist, but it was the last thing her mind recorded before it went completely blank; probably for the first time in Resha's whole life.
Unbecoming or not, Resha was sure as Hell she liked that. A lot.
After a while, their lungs started demanding for air and the two teens pulled away from each other, regretting it almost immediately.
"We'll see each other, soon..." Kurama panted out, his emerald eyes shining "...Definitely."
"I'll be waiting," Resha uttered a playful, challenging tune in her voice.
Kurama sent her a warm, loving smile before he turned to his cousin. "Tsuyu, thank you for letting me stay at your house –"
"S'okay, Cuz. Anytime," Tsuyu winked at him "You're always welcome here..."
He could feel his cheeks getting warmer, but he shrugged it off. He pulled the brown haired girl into a tight hug which she returned.
There was a loud whistle, announcing the passengers to get on the train immediately. Kurama faced Resha and took her hand, squeezing her gently. "See you later, Resha." He said quietly.
"Yeah, see you," she replied, her lips stretching in a smile. "Take care."
"I will."
As the two girls watched the train disappear, Tsuyu turned to the red head and sighed.
"Resha... Thank you."
Startled, Resha faced her, her eyebrows raised high. "What for?" 'I should be thanking YOU, for letting me meet him...'
"Thanks to you two... Maeda owns me 100 yen now!" Tsuyu grinned from ear to ear and then broke off with laughter at Resha's priceless expression. The red haired girl blinked once before her eyes blazed with anger.
"TSUYU!!"
>>
I really hope you liked it, Resha-chan! Once again, Happy Birthday!!
Your Friend and Partner-in-Crime,
Akasha
PS. I hope you enjoy the pic up there xD
