Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ A Beautiful Thing ❯ Chapter 6

Sarcastic Nut ~ thanks! I've been trying to make the story kind of funny. A slight comedy. Like some funny jokes or some crazy shit like that. It hasn't been working.

Kieri ~ oh damn, not the evil squirrels. lol, thanks for reviewing, Kieri. I hope you enjoy the future chapters of this story as much as you did chapter five!

Hectates_Slave ~ you loved it!!? Thank you!!! I'm gonna go do my happy dance around my computer room! Erm…the happy dance makes me look semi-retarded so I'm just gonna wait till I'm sure no one's watching, lol.

Seara ~ awesome! Ocean city rocks. Tell me how it was! Did you have fun? lol reviews on every chapter - I'm not complaining. In fact, you're like a regular for this story. I love it! If you didn't review every so often, then I'd probably think that you died or something. Thanks, by the way. ^__^

Ichiko-Ran ~ haha. I laughed my ass off when I saw the thing about throwing a cherry bomb under a police car. That would have some interesting results. I thought that having Roxy stick a cherry bomb in Koenma's desk would be a nice effect, lol.

Animehasmylife ~ thanks for the review, man. I really do appreciate it. = ) I'm glad you liked it!

AFIroxkid ~ hey brandee. Heh heh. you'll beat me up, huh? Don't make me go get my baseball bat… hey thanks for the review, by the way. Seeing as how you only did it cuz I called you a whore and forced you to. just playing, man. Yeah, I don't know what's going to happen in the future for this fic, I think I have an idea but you wouldn't be too happy with it! Well, no more outta me! Oh, and I doubt that everybody on mediaminer would want to see a story about the TMNT. lol!!! We could give it a try someday.

A/N: Eeeyow! Holy shit! HOLY SHIT!! Do you SEE how many reviews I have???!! Wow! I never imagined that so many people would like this story. I really, really appreciate you reviewers out there! You're the ones who make me want to continue with this fic. If there were no reviews, I'd get bored with it and stop writing. Thanks so much!

Chapter Six

The next morning, Maya nearly broke down my door to get me out of bed. She had been knocking for a solid hour before I yelled, "Go away, devil whore!"

She didn't like that.

There was a loud thump at the door, like she kicked it, and then there was silence. `Uh oh.' I rolled off of the pull-out couch and went to the door so I could look through the peephole. Where did she go? No one was in the hallway, and there was no one waiting for an elevator. Under different circumstances, I would just assume that she had left. But Maya isn't the kind of person that will be put off this easily.

With a furrowed brow, I turned away from the door and went to go feed Larry. I hadn't even gotten the cap off of the goldfish food before one of my windows slid open and Maya jumped in. And when I say jumped in, I mean jumped in. She flew right at me, almost taking me to the floor.

"Hey! Watch that shit!" I yelled, slapping away her outstretched arms.

"I am not letting you screw up at your new school on the very first day!" She said, glaring at me. She then stood up and brushed herself off, while I watched her with a mixture of horror and confusion.

"What are you, my mother?" I twisted the cap off of Larry's food and sprinkled some into his bowl.

Maya huffed, and went over to my pull-out couch. She folded up the blankets and put the bed away, then stuck the cushions back onto the couch. "Sometimes I feel like it," she replied dryly.

"Get outta here," I complained.

She took me by the elbow and steered me into the kitchen. I sat down on a stool and dropped my head into my hands. I heard her open up a few cupboards, and I heard her pouring me a bowl of cereal a few moments later.

"Eat," she said, setting the bowl down in front of me.

"Not hungry," I muttered. If she's going to be bossy, then I'm going to be difficult. Maya glared at me, silently promising that she would break every bone in my body unless I ate the damn cocoa puffs. `That is, I *was* going to be difficult.'

"Right, eating it is."

When I was finished, she left me on the stool and walked to my clothes basket. My hauled out a clean black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She even had the nerve to haul out a pair of socks, too. Tossing them to me, she said, "Get ready to go, we're leaving in ten minutes."

Ten minutes my ass.

~

We were gone in ten minutes. I can't believe this. I had gotten railroaded into going to school.

"They make medication for people like you," I said, staring sullenly out the passenger side window. `I am NOT a happy camper.'

I had readily volunteered to take the bus to school, but Maya somehow knew that I would just get off a few stops early and head to the arcade. So here I am. Angry and… okay, just plain angry. School is the last place that I want to be right now, and Maya had booted me out of my apartment before I could finish watching Ed, Edd, and Eddy.

We drove in silence for a good ten minutes before Maya feigned a look of disinterest and asked, "Say, what were those boys doing in the lobby of your apartment this morning?"

I looked at her. "Eh?" Oh, god. Please don't tell me that those dudes were actually taking this "bodyguard" thing seriously. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"You know, the four that we met at the arcade the other day?"

"I need a restraining order for them," I sighed. "Those retards won't leave me alone."

Maya nodded absently, and I couldn't help but notice the slight frown that had worked its way into her expression. She and I didn't talk for the rest of the car ride, and I began to feel a little uncomfortable.

I didn't even get a goodbye when she dropped me off in the parking lot of my new high school. As soon as I stepped out, she sped off.

"Assmunch…" I muttered darkly. Shoving my hands deep into my jeans pockets, I slowly walked down the sidewalk and towards the front doors. It was like the Path of Hell, I swear to god. Every step that I took was like I was getting closer and closer to certain doom…

…Shut up! I'm not exaggerating!

~

Never actually spent the entire day at school before. Yeah. It's not fun. I've been checking the clock in the classroom every couple of seconds, praying that the end of the day would come a little sooner.

I haven't seen Urameshi at all today. Maybe he bailed on babysitting duty, huh? `Pssh,' I thought with a snort. Yeah right.

By the time that two o'clock rolled around, I had had just about enough of this school thing. So I bailed on the rest of my classes for the day, and headed to the roof of the building. I figured that I could just chill up here for a while, and then find a way to get down when three thirty rolled around.

But alas, the fates would have none of that. The first thing I noticed as I stepped out into the sunlight was that Yusuke Urameshi was sitting near the door to the roof, asleep. Against my better judgment, I stalked over to him and watched him sleep for a second - still amazed at the innocence I saw on his face. Then I kicked him.

He awoke with a jolt, and stared up at me sleepily. "Hey, Red. Fancy seeing you here."

"You make a crappy bodyguard, Urameshi," I muttered, then sat down when he offered a spot beside him.

Yusuke leaned back against the building and shut his eyes. "Yeah, so?" he said.

Going for a different tactic, I attempted to start a conversation. "So…what were you guys going at my apartment today?"

He opened one of his eyes and stared me down. I ended up blushing slightly and looking down at my hands. `Damn,' I thought, angry at myself.

"Bodyguarding," he finally replied, and shut his eye.

"Didn't I ask you morons to stop that?" I asked, exasperated. Yusuke just grunted in reply. I scowled. "Now really, knock it off. I don't need any protection from you."

Urameshi sighed as he leaned forward and ran his hands through his hair. "Look, Red, it's my job. And Koenma's not about to let me quit this case," he said, his voice leaning towards impatience.

I jumped to my feet. "Tell Koenma to bite me!" I nearly yelled, jabbing my index finger in Urameshi's direction. Yusuke stood as well, and looked at me with annoyance and anger in his clear brown eyes.

"You can also tell that stupid baby to stop meddling in my life!" I felt a rant coming on.

"Listen - " Yusuke began.

I cut him off. "No, you listen! I don't want you or your duffus friends anywhere near me! Stay out of my business, tell Koenma to go screw himself, and leave me the hell alone! Jesus H. Christ! What do I have to do to get some flipping privacy around here? I'm gonna - "

Urameshi roughly pulled me to him, and firmly planted his lips on mine. I tensed, but closed my eyes anyway. We weren't touching except for our lips, and neither of us moved from the spot we were in for a moment. I was only vaguely aware of how the lettering on my hip gently thrummed.

It ended just as quickly as it started. Urameshi pulled back, looked me right in the eye, and calmly said, "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Red." He turned and opened up the door of the roof, then disappeared down the stairs.

I stood where he left me for several minutes, too shocked to move. How dare he! I brought my fingertips up to touch my lips, and stared at the door he had gone through.

~

"This day can't get any worse," I said to Larry as I let myself into my apartment. On my way over to his fish bowl, I checked the messages on my answering machine. I leaned heavily on the computer desk as I listened.

"Good evening, Roxanne." Oh, God, I hate her voice. Ame. "Dinner is at five o'clock sharp tonight, so you better not be late." Shortly after I moved myself out of their house, Lee had struck a deal with me. He would let me live on my own if I agreed to have dinner with him and Ame once a week. It's torture EVERY time.

"Oh, and Roxanne," Ame said. "I saw what you did to Melissa, and I am expecting one hell of an apology for it when you arrive." She hung up after that statement, and I sighed.

"Looks like it just got worse," I told Larry.

An hour later, I had hopped into the shower and gotten completely ready for dinner at Ame's. That left me a half an hour to get all the way across town.

I got down to the lobby of the apartment and noticed that that Shuuichi kid was sitting there, reading a book. Bodyguarding. He looked up as I walked past, and stood up to follow.

Not even slowing down, I glanced at him over my shoulder and asked, "Wanna go have dinner with some people?"

He said nothing, so I took it as a yes. The two of us went out into the parking lot and I stopped at the curb.

"We can take my car," he said softly. He led me to a black Porsche that was parked a couple of feet away, and opened the door for me before getting in on his side.

"I gotta be there at six," I murmured. I've decided that I like this Shuuichi guy. I don't feel threatened by him - he's real polite. Found out that he's real quiet, too. The car ride was void of conversation, and the only sound was the classical music pouring quietly from the speakers.

Shuuichi Minamino pulled into Ame's driveway at six o'clock on the dot. Not a second sooner or later.

"I gotta say, Shuuichi, I'm impressed," I said as the two of us walked up to the door and rang the bell.

He smiled. "I do my best."

Just as I was about to give up on ringing the doorbell, the large oak door swung open. Melissa let me in, giving me a smoldering look over her giant white nose cast. I burst out laughing, and even Shuuichi had to cover up a smile. Melissa's eyes narrowed, but the only thing I could focus on was the big black eye that I gave her.

I breezed past her, into the dining room. "It's gotta be tough trying to look mean with that big piece of shit on your face, huh?" I asked her.

"Shut your fucking mouth, Masuro," she shot back. "My mom's so fucking mad about this."

I didn't even look back. "It's a good look for you."

Lee and Ame had been arguing about something in the kitchen, but when I walked into the connected dining room, they both stopped talking. Ame was probably just being a bitch about having me in the house again.

"Roxy!" Lee greeted happily. He came over and gave me a big hug, which I returned. Lee's a great guy. I've never had anything bad to say about him.

"Who might this be?" Ame demanded, gesturing towards Shuuichi.

I looked into his emerald eyes and silently pleaded, `play along!' I then hooked my arm through his and smiled brilliantly at Ame.

"This is my boyfriend, Shuuichi. We've been dating for a few weeks now." Seeming to have gotten my message, he grinned down at me and nodded politely to Ame and Lee.

"It's certainly a pleasure to finally meet you," Shuuichi said. "She speaks very highly of you, Lee."

I almost laughed out loud at the expression on Ame's face. Score one for Roxy's team!

"Shall we start dinner, then?" Lee grinned widely.

"Yes, let's."

In a minute of so, we were all seated around a big square table. Shuuichi almost immediately engaged Lee in a lively discussion of politics, leaving Ame and Melissa to glare at me.

Halfway through dinner, Ame spoke to me. "Roxanne, apologize to my daughter," she ordered. Now, I hate the way she says my name. She says it with such malice… it's unjustified. I've never done anything that would make her hate me so much. Well, except for the Melissa thing, mind you.

"I won't apologize." I crossed my arms. "Go to hell, Ame." My gaze was unwavering as I stared her straight in the eye.

She seethed. And I could already tell that I wasn't going to like what she was about to say. "You know," she said coolly, "If your parents hadn't gone and gotten themselves murdered, I bet that they'd be able to straighten you out. In fact, I heard that Miranda was good at those kinds of things."

A shocked silence fell over our group. Oh, boy. Brought out the big guns this time, didn't she? She took it way too far this time. Have you ever noticed how everybody picks on me about my parents? That's just rude.

I stood up abruptly, and my chair toppled over. I managed a, "Don't you ever say my mother's name!" before I hauled off and slugged Ame right in the jaw.

Lee and Melissa gasped, while Shuuichi stood and said to Lee, "I think that it would be best if we took our leave." He put his hand on my lower back and guided me out of the dining room.

A stunned Lee followed us to the door. "Roxy, I'm so sorry."

I left the house without looking back. "Yeah, Lee, me too." No more family dinners.

I doubted that I could take another silent car ride, after what just happened. I was afraid that I was going to start to cry in front of Shuuichi. `It's not going to happen,' I thought as I stubbornly squeezed my eyes shut when tears welled up.

What Ame had said to me brought back some awfully painful memories. Memories of my mother reading stories to me at night when I was little. Memories of my mom standing up to my school principal when I got into my first fist fight, and the way she proudly walked me right past the girl I had hit. But the more recent recollections are the ones that are hard to get past. I had been at my neighbor's house the day that my parents were killed. I remember hearing my mother screaming for my father, and I remember the gunshots that killed them. The black SUV that pulled out of my driveway only moments after my parents and brother were murdered…

Seeming to read my mind about the car ride home, Shuuichi switched the radio station in the car and turned up the volume. Alternative rock nearly blasted through the speakers, but I was grateful for it anyway.

I couldn't even look at the red-haired boy sitting next to me. I didn't want him to think I was a big baby for crying about a fight that I had with Ame. So I kept my eyes averted, looking out the window.

I've never properly mourned the loss of my family. I don't want to remember it, so I refuse to acknowledge it. But it just so happens that no matter how hard I try, everyone reminds me that I've got no parents. After a while, it kind of sucks.

Minutes later, Shuuichi dropped me off at the entrance of my apartment. While he went to go park his car, I slowly went up to my room. As soon as I unlocked the door and looked at Larry, I burst into tears.

Sobbing, I picked up the phone and called Maya. When she answered, I brokenly said, "I'm not going to school tomorrow, My."

Kind of alarmed at my state of distress, she asked softly, "Why not, Roxy?"

"There's been a death in the family."

End Chapter

A/N: Okay, so I was over my deadline this time, too. Bummer. But, hey, maybe next chapter I'll get it out within a week. Like I'm supposed to. >_< Lots of reviews this time. I like. But I made chapter six kind of longer to make up for the room I spent on responding to them. Anyway… thanks for all of the reviews, everybody. You're amazing! I'd love to include my readers in my fic, so if anyone wants to contribute some advice that would be cool. (I can't promise that I'll USE the advice, but you can try) Also, I have a question: Am I the only person on the face of this planet who likes the teenage mutant ninja turtles?

-babi blu.