Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Lost Memories ❯ Testing ( Chapter 8 )

The next morning, Bekka yawned and stretched luxuriously in Kurama's bed. He had insisted that she sleep there, at least the one more night. She cast her mind around, trying to feel for what should be there, her memories of why she was here. She could remember some more of her past. She remembered her family, her mother, who named her Absinthe, she remembered and wrinkled her nose. Her father worked hard away from home. She didn't remember him much, and felt that she really hadn't ever known him. She remembered her brother and sister, younger and bigger than her. How fair was that? She thought she remembered running from home one night, frustrated with her family and wanting to leave. She felt that she had done that a lot, but she felt that this was the last time. She made a wish, she remembered. And then Loki turned her life upside down. She wondered what he'd done this time that landed her with amnesia and people she should know…felt she knew for at least a little while, and who took care of her. She frowned at the ceiling, remembering bits and pieces of the past couple of days. She remembered the screaming and singing. What caused that? She knew Loki was somehow tied to it. She heard the door and the window open and, while continuing to frown at the ceiling, said, "Good morning, Kurama, Hiei."

"Well, it's good to know you remember us," Kurama answered, a smile in his voice. "What else do you remember?"

"Hn," was Hiei's comment.

"Oh, bits and pieces….my family, meeting Loki the first time…y'know, I think he's been playing with me for a long time….longer than any person should live." She shrugged against the bed. "I remember that my mother named me Absinthe…ugh!" She stuck her tongue out at the ceiling in disgust, eliciting a laugh from Kurama. "It's still foggy, but things are clearing up. I think with a little time, I'll remember what I knew." She turned and faced Kurama, "What's the plan today? Did Koenma tell you anything? I heard you all talking after I fell asleep."

He sat in his desk chair, facing her, watching her. "He said that if he didn't already know Loki, he would have doubted your story. It sounds fantastic. He went to talk with Oberon."

She propped her head up on her hand, "I don't always believe my own stories, either, but that one is true."

He tilted his head, "How old are you?"

She frowned, "I was 20 when I first met Loki. I guess that's how old my body is now, but I think I'm getting close to 300 or so." Her expression remained calm, as if she didn't care whether he believed her or not.

"Are you sure you're human?"

"Are you sure your not? How can I be sure, with Loki messing with me so much?"

"Can you demonstrate the skills you said you learned last night?"

"Right now, or do I get to get dressed first?"

Kurama shrugged, and Hiei moved from the window in an attempt to reach Bekka. Before he reached her, however, she had rolled off the bed, "I guess now is as good a time as any," she muttered from the floor.

"You weren't watching him. You were looking at me," Kurama spoke up in surprise.

"I could see him. Just because I don't look at someone doesn't mean I can't see them. Don't be ridiculous." Bekka smarted back, getting to her feet and leaning against the wall. "If you want a proper demonstration, though, I recommend either a dojo or outside. I wouldn't want to put holes in the walls or anything like that."

"What weapons do you use?" Kurama asked.

"Just a belt knife. A lot of places frown heavily on women carrying weapons, so I've never learned them." She was surprised at how quickly her mind was filling in blanks.

Hiei again tried to pin the girl, seeing her eyes focus briefly inward. She jumped over him and landed, facing him. "Really, we would both fare better outside, don't you think?"

"How'd you do that?" Hiei asked, surprised that she had jumped high enough to clear his head.

"I was in Knossos for a while and danced with bulls in the temple there. It seems activity helps revive the memory, though." Bekka stood up from her crouch, "Really, this would be more fun outside." She launched herself out the open window, landing lightly in the yard. She grinned at the surprised faces of the demons, "Oh, c'mon, don't stop now. I'm just warming up."

Hiei jumped out the window and was surprised to feel his feet move out from under him. He landed on his hands, his feet held up by the girl who was standing behind him, laughing. He didn't find it funny, however, and pulled his legs forward. She let go of them and jumped back as he righted himself, glaring dangerously. She stood across from him casually, smiling at his anger. "Defend yourself, fool," Hiei growled at her.

"Always," she laughed in return, not changing her posture. "Oh, by the way, go ahead and use your sword. It won't make a difference one way or the other."

Hiei's opinion of the girl suffered greatly with that comment. She wanted to die, he would help her, then, the stupid girl. He drew his katana and flew across the yard at the girl. He swung his sword through her, only she wasn't there, anymore. He stopped and turned, finding her where she had been, where she should have been when he swung his sword. How the hell….? he wondered. She was facing away from him, this should be easy. He thrust his sword at her, only to watch her dodge it easily. Who was she to so easily avoid him? He continued forward with the momentum of his movement and she grabbed his wrist, twisting it, forcing him to loose his grip on his katana. She then flipped him over her head as easily as if he were a pillow, dropping him heavily on his back.

She knelt by his head, looking him in the eyes, smiling, "Are you finished, or do you want to keep playing?"

"Hiei, Bekka, that's enough. I've seen enough," Koenma answered from the edge of the yard. Bekka rolled so that she was sitting, facing him, waiting. "Oberon has confirmed your story, as has your demonstration. He also told us to give you this," he pulled out a battered case from behind his back.

Bekka scrambled up from the ground to retrieve it. Inside was an old, but well cared for, violin. Bekka ran her fingers reverently over the rosey wood of the body and bow before picking them up and began to tune the instrument. She placed the instrument gently under her chin and began to play a gentle melody, a haunting tune in a minor key that both comforted and sent shivers through her impromptu audience. She drew out the final note until it faded, put the violin and bow back in the case, picked it up and walked back into the house, leaving the others to shake off the music in their own time.

She walked into Kurama's bedroom, finding him still at his window. He turned to face her when she came in, a far away look on his face, "When did you learn that?"

She shrugged, placing the case with great care on the now cleared desk. "A long time ago. I couldn't play before I met Loki. I've learned a lot, even with him playing his stupid games. The violin belonged to my teacher, it was his favorite. He left it to me in his will when he died." She sighed, "The bad thing about remember stuff is that now I remember how many friends I've lost through out the course of these stupid games." She sat in the chair, looking at the violin. She sighed, looking over at him, "Such is the dangers of so long a life, you out live everyone you know and don't always have the chance to properly mourn for the loss." She shook herself, waving her hands in front of her, she got up from the chair. "Enough morbidity for now." She smiled brightly, "Don't you have school today?"

He laughed at her sudden change, "No, it's Saturday. We were going to decide what to do this morning."

Hiei and Koenma entered the room, Hiei looking thoughtfully at the girl in the chair. Koenma gave them all an authoritative glance, "Today, you will do whatever Bekka thinks will help her recover her memories. Oberon wants her to be available as soon as possible."

"Oberon can go….," Bekka covered her mouth with her hand and continued muttering, but the others couldn't make out what she said, but figured it couldn't be too nice. Her expression was fierce with anger, her eyes cold.

Koenma smiled, "I'll tell him you said so, but I don't think he'll listen to that suggestion. You have a job to perform, girl."

Her face was bitter and her voice dry, "Oh, yippie."

~*~

A/N Well, hmmm….not sure what to say here…Oh, yes…questions from my loverly reviewer Sroa Dwin (I didn't forget or ignore them, really :D ) As for what Bekka is to teach Loki, neither of them know, only Oberon knows, but my muse tells me it's respect and compassion (can you tell he's a slow student?). Also, Bekka's been playing these games for 200 years…she's had to have had some kind of life…if you recall from her story, she was in that place for 12 years…that's more than long enough to have gotten married. She's never had children, though, at least none of her own. Since I say in the Traveler that it's 300 years from her first wish to her ending the game, there's a lot of time/room for back stories. If your muse gives you a back story, just let me know…since they are my characters…I'd like to know what they're up to ;) Oh, yeah…I did use Q in the Traveler, but decided to change his name…his personality is a little based on Q, but also from some of the mythology surrounding Loki and from my muse…such a slave driving muse I have…Bekka is physically based on me, but her personality is her own…an idealized Irish woman, in a way…sweet, kind, strong, independent and you don't want to make her mad…*sigh* I'll be happy to answer more questions, but I'm thinking this is the end of this adventure….