Kurama 1/2
Chapter 2
By Kristin Huntsman
< > indicates thought
<: :> indicates thinking in Chinese
": :" indicates speaking in Chinese
Yuusuke sighed, toweling his hair dry. He was so glad to be human again. He paused, and looked over to where Kuwabara was sitting morosely on the ground. "Hey, Kuwabara," he said, walking over to him. "You okay?"
"A rabbit..." Kuwabara muttered. "Why did it have to be a rabbit?"
"It could be worse, Kuwabara-kun," Kurama commented. "There are other springs here that are a lot less fun to fall into."
"Easy for you to say!" Kuwabara glared at Kurama. "You at least stay human!"
Kurama shrugged. Yuusuke glanced at Kurama, and as a thought struck him, he suddenly began to laugh.
"Huh?" Kuwabara asked, not understanding the reason that Urameshi was cracking up all of a sudden.
"A girl..." Yuusuke giggled. "As if people didn't already mistake you for one enough, Kurama!"
Kuwabara began to grin, too, as that thought slowly worked its way through his mind. "Appropriate... eh, Kurama?" he asked.
"Probably." Kurama smiled and shrugged again. He glanced at where Hiei was sitting, pretending to ignore the three of them, and raised his voice just enough so that he knew Hiei would hear. "At least Yukina-san seems to think that you're cute as a rabbit, Kuwabara-kun," he said. Hiei stiffened, but didn't turn towards them.
"Yeah..." Kuwabara said, his mood beginning to lighten. He grinned happily as he remembered the sensation of Yukina holding him, and the sound of her heartbeat, heard with sensitive rabbit ears. Kurama and Yuusuke looked at each other and smiled, mission accomplished.
"Yuusuke..." Keiko called. "Are you ready yet?"
"Hai!" Yuusuke called back. "Just a second!"
He looked at the other three, and as a group, they walked out from behind the trees they had used as a screen while they changed back to their human, and in Hiei's case, more-or-less human, forms, and dressed.
"Yuusuke!" Keiko cried, running up to hug him. After a brief second of startlement, he hugged her back.
"It's alright," he reassured her.
"I was afraid you'd be stuck like that forever!"
"Don't worry - all it takes is hot water," he said.
A few feet away, Yukina grabbed Kuwabara's hand and held it between her own. "Kazuma-san!" she said gratefully.
"Aah...Yukina-san..." Kuwabara stuttered, as tongue-tied around her as always.
"Kazu..." Shizuru said, warningly. She made a fist, and he cowered as she threatened to hit him. She dropped it, however, and gave him a fierce hug instead. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" she told him.
"O-okay..." he said.
"Shizuru-san...?" Yukina said questioningly.
Hiei looked at the three with an expression on his face that might have almost been longing... if he'd let it be. "Shuichi?" Shiori asked, turning to him, after looking at Hiei.
"Hiei doesn't have any family," Kurama explained. It was mostly the truth, he justified to himself. "He's lived by himself for a long time."
"The poor boy..." Shiori said pityingly. "At least I have you," she said, hugging Kurama.
"Hai, Kaasan," he said, returning the hug. "We have each other."
Cologne lifted her head up from the book of recipes she was studying as a sudden knock came upon her door. <:It must be Genkai!:> she thought, moving to open it. She wasn't disappointed, as she saw her good friend standing there, with a party behind her that must be her students and their families.
She eagerly ushered them into her spacious home, and made sure that they had already eaten dinner. After having tea, and allowing them to relax a little, she called Soap out to show them to the guest cottages that the village had set up for tourists. She had fortunately made sure earlier how many guests Genkai would be bringing, and it wasn't too many for the space they had available.
After making sure that they were all comfortably settled, she prepared to stay up late, talking with Genkai, and exchanging what amounted to nearly forty years' worth of gossip with her.
After setting his pack down in the one-room cottage he'd been assigned to share with Hiei, Kurama started to wander around the village. He wasn't worried about getting into trouble with any of the villagers, really. He spoke fairly fluent Chinese, and had studied up on Chinese customs of politeness before leaving on the trip. But he _was_ curious about what life was like in a Chinese village, and the best way to learn was to observe.
<Curiosity killed the cat,> he thought <But Hiei's the one who turns into a cat. Besides, who knows? This might come in useful someday.>
Eventually, after a few hours' observance, Kurama returned to the cottage. Since there was nothing to do inside, he sat out front of it, and watched the evening go by.
Across the road, the young man who had shown them to their quarters, Soap, if Kurama remembered his name correctly, was helping a young woman to set up a checkerboard. The two of them proceeded to have a match. Having nothing better to do for the moment, Kurama watched and compared their playing techniques.
The girl was clearly the superior player, and he almost felt admiring of her obvious capacity for strategy. He definitely felt sorry for her opponent. The first three games she won in a blur, barely allowing the young man a chance. Then she slowed down her tempo some, dragging out the next several matches, until finally it became painfully obvious that she was just toying with her friend. He took it in good stride, however.
":I quit,:" he said in Chinese. ":Find someone else to play with, Hairspray. I don't have any money left to owe you, after tonight.:" He was smiling as he said this, so Kurama didn't think that he was really upset.
":Tonight's on the house, Soap,:" she answered. ":We'll play something different tomorrow night, if you like.:"
":I've gotta find a someone else to play with...:" the young man muttered as he walked away.
The girl smiled and shook her head, her golden-brown hair falling in perfect waves. She re-arranged the pieces on the red-and-black board for a new game, and glanced over at Kurama. "Do you play?" she asked, in perfect Japanese.
"Some," he replied, wondering if she was going to ask him.
"Would you care for a match?" she asked. "I need someone other than Soap to practice against. He's gotten too used to being beat by me, and I need to keep my technique sharp."
"On checkers?" he asked, standing up and moving to sit across the board from her.
"On strategy," she replied. "Checkers is only one outlet for it. No stakes," she offered.
"Deal," he told her. "Ladies move first."
"Thank you," she said, smiling at him. "My name is Hairspray."
"I'm Minamino Shuichi." he replied, watching as she made the safest first move, sliding her piece into a square against the edge of the board. After that, it became a complete game of wits. Kurama studied the board intently after each of their moves, knowing that she would be able to defeat him if he didn't play his best. He mentally ran through what each potential move would mean, and what the best responding moves would be, going through all the possible outcomes. He wasn't surprised at all, as he looked up after one of his moves, to see her doing the same.
She was pressing him to do his best, to use all four hundred years' worth of planning experience, just to match her. She was undoubtably one of the cleverest humans he had ever met, and he was beginning to wonder if he would actually be able to win the game. His pride as a youko demanded that he not lose, however, and he re-doubled his efforts, barely aware of the crowd gathering, watching them match their minds.
Soon enough, they were down to only five pieces between them, two hers, crowned, and three his, of which only two were crowned. A potential move caught his eye. If she fell for it, he would have only the uncrowned piece, but he would be in a position to jump both of hers and win. If she didn't, though, depending on her next move, he might lose the game altogether. He carefully weighed her playing style, and decided that the temptation of leaving him with only one piece might be just enough of a drug to her pride to dull her awareness of his options. He moved, and held his breath.
Hairspray's blue-violet eyes narrowed, and a small smile appeared on her face. She raised her hand, and double-jumped his pieces. She set her piece down and lifted his off the board. She set them down next to her with a clack. Kurama put his hand on his last remaining piece and quickly captured both of hers, a small smile of triumph lighting his face. He looked up at her, expecting her to look startled, perhaps slightly sheepish at her loss.
He was not expecting her to lean across the board and kiss him.
He stiffened in reaction as her soft lips caressed his. He was suddenly very aware of everyone watching them, including both his friends and her village. He gently took her shoulders and pushed her back. She smiled happily at him, and he suddenly got another very bad feeling about this trip to China.
"What's going on?" he asked her, suspicious.
"You've beaten me," she replied. "I am now your wife."
That took a moment to sink in. Kurama took a deep breath and counted to ten, slowly. "What do you mean, 'you are my wife'?" he asked, very calmly.
"It is a law of this village," Cologne offered from the audience "If a female is defeated in any type of combat - including mental- by a male, she must marry him. You are the first man to ever beat Hairspray at strategy. She is now your wife."
Yuusuke watched and listened. This was incredible. Kurama had won a game, as he always did, except this time he had to pay a price for winning. <Trapped by his own cleverness...> Yuusuke thought, beginning to see the humor of the situation. And the look on Kurama's face was priceless. He looked at the girl, Hairspray, and wasn't surprised to see her gazing adoringly at Kurama. That was to be expected, Kurama always had that effect on girls, once they figured out that he was actually a guy. But the way he was looking back at her... Yuusuke began to grin.
The expression on his face must have been highly amusing, Kurama decided, because it seemed that everyone in the audience was breaking out in laughter. Even Hiei looked somewhat less than completely serious. Kurama looked back at Hairspray, dismayed and startled at this sudden turn of events.
"I will try to be a good wife, Minamino-san." she said, completely serious.
Kurama had only one thought: <What have I gotten myself into?>
"At least she's a nice girl..." Shiori offered.
"Kaasan! I did _not_ come to China to get married!" Kurama said, hitting his hand against the wall. "I'm only in high school, remember? How can I get married?!"
"Are you going to dishonor their laws?" Hiei asked evenly. Kurama looked at him, and decided that even though Hiei was probably amused by the situation, he was still more objective than he was. Kurama sighed, and forced himself into a calm he wasn't sure he was really feeling.
"I know I shouldn't," Kurama replied, sitting down on the floor. "And she probably _is_ a nice girl, I certainly know she's smart. But I hate being forced into this."
He looked around, at the circle of his friends, all sitting and watching him. Besides his mother, they were the closest he had to a family. He sighed again, and set himself to thinking.
"Okay, I know that it's too late to reverse what happened," he said. "But I was _not_ expecting this. Even though you told us not to take any challenges," he said, nodding towards Genkai, "I thought that it was limited to _fighting_, not a game of checkers. It's obviously not. So, I'm left with that I am her husband, by their laws and traditions. However, I am _not_ intending to marry _anyone_ for a while... not until I'm out of high school, at the very least. So what do I do?"
"You could dishonor the agreement." Yuusuke suggested.
"That's not a good idea," Genkai countered. "It's also stated in the village laws that if the groom tries to dishonor the marriage, the bride must track him down and kill him. And whether or not she would actually be able to do it, one of the two of you would end up hurt, sooner or later."
"I wouldn't dishonor the law, in any case," Kurama said, shaking his head "It was my own stupidity that got me into this. She doesn't deserve to have her bridegroom skip out on her."
"Wonder if she'd still want to marry you if she knew about the curse...?" Kuwabara thought out loud.
"That might be something, actually..." Kurama said, thinking it over. If Hairspray knew that he turned into a girl whenever he got wet...
"But what if she doesn't?" Botan countered. "What if she'll marry you anyway?"
"You think she would?" Kurama asked.
"I think that half the girls in your class would love to be in her position right now," Botan said carefully. "And the other half wouldn't admit to it."
"Wonderful..." Kurama muttered.
Shiori thought a second. "So she'll have to come back to Japan with us, then." she said.
"What do you mean, Kaasan?" Kurama asked, turning to her.
"As your only parent, I am of course concerned about your welfare," Shiori said, a small smile appearing on her face. "And I cannot, in all good conscience, let you marry before you are of an age to support both yourself and your wife. Hairspray will have to come to Japan and live with us until then. You have some time to get to know one another, this way."
"Two years, then?" Kurama asked, thinking. "I suppose so. In two years she may have decided not to marry me. Or she won't have, but this way I _do_ have a little time to decide. Thank you, Kaasan." Kurama said appreciatively.
"You're welcome, Shuichi." Shiori said. Kurama smiled.
Hairspray sat quietly, waiting outside the door of the cottage. Her husband had asked her to stay outside while he talked with his friends and family. She sighed happily, imagining his strong arms around her. She hadn't been sure, when she first saw him earlier that evening in the village, if he was a man or a woman, but her instincts had told her male. She had covertly watched him ever since, intrigued. She was always intrigued by foreign visitors to the village. And he spoke Chinese, fluently at the least, which few visitors did. She'd known that he did when he'd responded to one of the local farmers cursing that nothing would grow in the soil.
Shuichi had told the man of two types of crops that were both eminently suitable for the ground, and could be sold at a profit. Hairspray had been impressed- he was right, on both counts. Besides being a strategist, she was a botanist and an avid gardener, and his knowledge of her chosen profession only made her more interested in him. And he was very beautiful...
She sighed again. Beautiful wasn't a word that she would normally use to describe a man, but he was. His red hair was as long as hers, and his eyes far more beautiful... There was just _something_ about him that immediately drew Hairspray towards him.
It hadn't been an accident that she had had her nightly match with Soap right before him- she'd planned it. She'd known, as she was trained to know, when the one for her came along, and he was it. If he had a mind to match hers, then it was destiny, and not just her infatuation. And he had, and now he was her husband...
Hairspray looked up as the door opened. "Hairspray, will you please come in?" one of the girl she'd been introduced to, Keiko, said.
"Hai," she answered, standing up gracefully and walking inside after the slightly taller girl. She sat down next to her in the loose circle that they had made, and looked across it at Shuichi. Her husband.
"Hairspray," he said in his soft voice. "Before you and I marry, there are a few things you might want to know. Once you do, if you want to break off the engagement, I won't object."
"You have a fiancee?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. She didn't really like killing - leave that to Shampoo - but she wouldn't let stand anyone in her way, either...
"No, no!" he said, as he saw the dangerous look in her eyes. She relaxed. "It's just that... well, here." he said, reaching for the bucket of water that was kept in the corner of each house, in case of fire. She wondered what he was doing, as he closed his eyes and dumped it over his head.
She sat quite still, absorbing it, as she took in his smaller, newly-curved form. Then she was angry. More than just angry - furious. She had been tricked into thinking he was her husband, instead he was a she, and a pervert, and now she'd have to kill him instead of getting married, and she'd be the laughingstock of the village for getting fooled like this...
"Hairspray?" he - no, _she_ - asked.
"Are you a man or a woman, naturally?" she asked, keeping her anger in tight check until she could be absolutely sure.
"A man," she replied.
Hairspray sighed then, relieved, and felt her anger dissipate. "Then it's alright," she said, happily. "I won't have to kill you. How do you change back?"
"_KILL_?!" Shuichi-chan asked.
"If you were truly a woman, then I would have to kill you for defeating me," she explained, still smiling. "That's what my friend Shampoo is away doing right now. But since you're not, it's okay."
"You mean you want to marry him anyway?" one of his friends asked. Urameshi Yuusuke, if she remembered his name correctly.
"Of course," she replied. "Why wouldn't I want to?"
Kurama sighed. If Hairspray wanted to marry her despite the curse... <Damn it!> she thought. <I thought that she wouldn't want to, once she knew! But she still does...> She looked at her, and for some strange reason noticed that she was actually very pretty. <Knock it off!> she told herself.
"Hairspray," Shiori said softly. "Although I do recognize your engagement to my son, I hope you realize that he is still a high school student in Japan, and that I cannot permit him to marry you until he has at least graduated."
Hairspray's face fell. Shiori felt guilty, and continued, "If you are still determined to marry him, despite knowing of his curse, then you may return to Japan with us, if you wish."
Hairspray's face lit up like a candle, and Shiori almost smiled at the happiness written all over her. "Oh, yes! Arigato gozaimasu, Minamino-san! I will try to be a good daughter-in-law to you, and a good wife to Shuichi-san!"
"You'll have to attend school with Shuichi, of course," Shiori said, "and you'll have chores around the house to fulfill, but other than that, your time will be your own."
Hairspray nodded solemnly. She was determined not to screw up. She would do everything right, and Shuichi would marry her. She didn't expect to return to China, now, except for visits to her family. It was expected that those who married men from outside the village not return.
"We're leaving the day after tomorrow," Genkai said, getting up. "Can you be ready by then?"
Hairspray nodded. It would take her less than half a day to get ready to leave the place that had been her home for all her life. She had been waiting all her life for this day, waiting to leave... with her husband. She looked happily at Shuichi.
Author's Ramblings: Okay, characters and situations borrowed from Rumiko Takahashi and Togashi Yoshihiro, obviously, except for Hairspray; she's mine, and I thank my roommate, Becca Driver, for her name. So, anyway, here's the second chapter of Kurama 1/2. Wonder how many people guessed that Kurama would be the one who got in trouble in the Village of the Amazons? Certainly no one that I challenged to tell me who they thought would. Yes, I'm having fun writing this, but I'd already decided, _before_ I asked anyone, what would happen, so, no, I'm not doing this just to be perverse. Besides, he (/she) is the title character of this little cross-universe of mine, and I'm trying to mix the lighter feel of Ranma 1/2 with the more serious one of Yuu*Yuu*Hakusho, which means that Kurama can't stay out of trouble as much as he did in pure YYH...
So, yes, Hairspray _will_ be going back to Japan with everyone else, and be hanging around for quite a while, depending on how far this goes. And being Shampoo's friend, she _does_ have some fighting skills worth mention, she just doesn't choose to use them in this chapter. As for her speaking pretty good Japanese, well, as Kurama observed, she's smart. And as for Kurama speaking perfect Chinese, well, he's been around 400+ years, and he might see a use for it, even if he never considered it before his human life. So why shouldn't he be multi-lingual?
Since I just _know_ someone's going to ask it...they were playing regular checkers because I haven't played Chinese checkers for quite some time, and don't remember how to. And no one ever taught me chess, so that was also out, as far as what game they were playing. The winning move I described is very possible, BTW; I've used it against my sister.
That's all for now. Standard thanks go out to Aaron Arce, John Blankenship, Sionna Klassen, and Glenn Kristiansen, for reasons they already know, and if you _really_ want to know them, too, then they're in "Author's Ramblings" for the last chapter. Anyhow, please send comments, corrections, and constructive criticisms to me at [email protected], 'coz heaven knows I need them... (thanks again, John!) The next chapter of this may not be posted until September, due to the fact that I hav only limited 'Net access during the summer. But three months off should give me time to write a whole lot of stuff... So, until next time, ja ne!