Hello, guys! It's been a very long time since I ended my latest story and really, I've struggled to have inspiration to bring you another work. My last year in high school was really the peak of all stresses and businesses and now I've just enrolled in my dream university. Summer's ending quite fast so I'm making most of it to write as many chapters as possible since updating will be quite a struggle while studying in college. Anyway, here's my first attempt at a HieixOC pairing and I wish you'll enjoy this first chapter. :)

Read and enjoy. Don't forget to review. Criticism is fine with me; in fact I love it. :)

Disclaimer: The Yu Yu Hakusho world does not, in any way, belong to me. It's the great Yoshihiro Togashi's.

Click

by four-eyed 0-0

Chapter One

I fiddle with the ring on the lens barrel of my camera as I crane my neck around the park. I've been walking around for almost three hours and managed to take many pictures already. I'll have to check on them later when I get home and decide which I'll be using as entries to the photo festival. So far, I guess I'm doing fine, but I don't think I've taken the main picture I want to pass.

Heaving a big sigh, I head for a tree and sit under its shade, glad for the solemn spot. I once again scout for possible subjects, my hands still on the camera. And then I see a young man leaning against the tree that is several yards from mine, reading a book, a small smile on his beautiful face. He seems to be really engrossed with his reading and taking a shot won't hurt, I guess.

The same time I bring the eyepiece to my eye, the breeze blows, so that his red locks sway freely. I quickly adjust the zoom and press the shutter button. When I see the picture, I can't help a grin from splitting my face in half and a blush comes running the proximity of my cheeks.

I look back at the redhead and assure myself that it is all right to blush. He is a looker.

I turn back to his picture and then back to him. I decide to take another shot. But when I inspect the next picture, my subject isn't alone anymore. A very short man clad in black is standing in front of the redhead and it seems that the latter just turned to the former the second I pressed the shutter button.

And that I didn't see him coming as I was focusing my camera. I definitely didn't see him.

I look back at the two and see that they are now engaged in a very subdued conversation. That's when I notice the sorry excuse for a coat of the man in black. It definitely isn't a coat, but it must've been his idea of a coat. Or is it some frock? Or maybe a cloak? Whatever the garment is, it's covering his entire torso and I scratch my nose. Now I really am intrigued and fascinated. Another picture won't hurt now, will it?

When I check the picture though, I see the man in black has finally noticed my being some paparazzi. And he has that seething glare on me when I lay my eyes on him. The sight of his black hair that stands tall despite gravity adds to the creepy feeling I get. He must be some badass. Oh, no. Serious trouble.

My doubts are confirmed when the redhead turns to me, stands, and grabs hold of the man's shoulder, clearly to stop him from doing anything wrong.

I do the one thing I can think of at the moment. That is to run.

I jump to my feet and make a dash to the nearest exit I see—the park's hedges—and then hurdle outside, weaving my way through the crowd of people in the sidewalk, determined to keep a very good distance from the men. I never mean to look like some stalker or someone bad, but there's some foreboding with the way the man in black glowered at me.

I honestly don't know why I'm so scared. Maybe because he might force me to delete his pictures and in the process, those of his friend. And I don't want him to do anything with my pictures. The park is a public place and thus I can argue that I did not invade anyone's privacy if he ever brings that up.

And that's when I skid to a stop.

I'm not in the wrong at this. I've done nothing wrong and I will prove I have done no wrong.

I walk into someone who's just turned the corner and almost fall off if not for their help. When I look up, I see that he's a very tall young man with a weird choice for hair color. Orange.

"Are you okay, miss?" he asks, surprising me with the knitting of his eyebrows. Genuine concern. I like that.

"I'm fine, sir, thanks," I reply, feeling a little light-headed from the sudden vibrancy radiating off him and his hair now that he smiles at me. I smile back and am about to excuse myself when without warning he pulls his eyes off my face and focus them at something behind me. I turn and see the man in black sprinting toward us, the redhead right at his heels.

Run, every muscle of my body is screaming for it, but I keep my feet planted firmly on the ground. I don't have anything wrong against them. And I'll prove it.

The two people stop a foot from us and I get straight to the point. "If you're going to tell me off for invading your privacy, then I should argue that the park is a public place and there's nothing wrong with taking pictures of people in it. Public domain is for all people and I respect the privacy of people on their private territories. I am a photographer and I am no paparazzi or stalker or hoodlum and thus I am not entitled to any criminal cases." I blink and cock my head slightly, my hands clutching my camera for dear life.

I earn no reaction from the two and instead my knight in shining orange mane speaks up. "What do you two have to do with this girl?"

I blink in confusion when the man in black turns his fiery red eyes to my knight and answers him, his voice dripping venom, "Kuwabaka, we just caught her taking pictures of us and she ran off. Suspicious behavior,"—he turns to me—"don't you think?"

I wrinkle my forehead. Do these three know each other? And did that man just call the person beside me by his name? It's a very funny name, if it really is his.

Kuwabaka whips his head to me and I look up at him. "Why is that suspicious?" I growl out, glaring at the man in black. "I merely thought I was in grave danger. And now I am in even graver danger. You know each other, don't you?"

Now the redhead is the one to reply, "Very clever of you, but I think we should skip that. We just have to make sure you have nothing to do with dangerous people, miss."

"Your point being?"

I hear a gasp from Kuwabaka and I shoot him another look. He has that panic in his eyes and he trembles very slightly. "You don't think she has anything to do with—"

"Shut it." The man in black nods at the redhead and gives Kuwabaka a look before scooping me up, to my very surprise.

"Where are—"

I don't have time to finish my sentence for he who is carrying me has sprinted off, making me scream. Good thing I never took my hands off my camera or else it might have flown off despite the lanyard around my neck that is attached to it, but then if I don't to clutch at his shoulder with one hand I'll be blown away.

When we stop, I'm sure my guts have done a terrible somersault. I open my eyes and when I find my focus and the color goes back to my face, he sets me to my feet. I tremble for a moment before I brace myself for another shock.

We are in the middle of a street surrounded by rundown buildings and the whole place is so dank and dim. I barely register that this man I'm with just transported us from a very busy street to an isolated part of the district. I back away from him. I know he's not someone to trust. I should escape. But I don't know how. Bidding my time, I take in my surroundings to find some means of escape in pretense of being quite surprised. "Why are we here?" I inquire, my voice faltering. I don't need some maneuver in there.

"We have to ask some questions."

I turn around and see that the redhead has just taken his post a good distance away from us, Kuwabaka beside him.

"Questions?" Now I'm in the gravest danger I've ever been in my whole entire life. I bet these people are mad. Mobsters with bloodlust. Gangsters. Pranksters. Monsters. Anything cruel and ending with –sters.

"Who sent you?" my transporter asks sharply. They're my transporters, then. Cruel transporters. Add that to the list of words of what they can be.

"Sent me?"

"Sent you, gave you instructions." That was a bit vague.

My body starts to shake violently and tears prick the back of my eyes. "Wh-what are you talking about?" My voice cracks and I bring one hand to my chest to calm my racing heart.

The three of them do the three-way glance and I find it stupidly amusing in my situation.

"No one told you to do their bidding?" Kuwabaka asks, confusion clear in his voice.

"Who's telling me to do their freaking bidding?" I yell, fed up. The gravity of the situation has just hit me. Are they seriously thinking I am some hired killer or a private investigator? "No one's sent me to take pictures! I do it because I am a photographer! Just tell me what the freaking hell is going on and why I should be inquired by three strangers!"

The redhead turns to the man in black. "She's telling the truth." Finally. I am telling the truth, for the love of everything true.

"But the energy from her, it's—"

The redhead holds up a hand to silence Kuwabaka. "We should send her home and report this."

Energy? Home? Report?

"What is going on? You're not reporting me to the cops, now, are you?" I shriek, tears streaming down my face now.

The redhead advances toward me and I back away. No. I'm not letting them do anything to me. No. But he's too fast. In a moment he's in front of me, saying with such gentleness that is reflected in his eyes, "We're not going to report you to the authorities, be assured by that. And sorry, but we really have to do this," before blowing a pinch of what I think of as sweet-smelling and coarse yellow powder right at my face. And the next, my world has become hazy.

Before I fall into the arms of the man in black, I manage to plead, "Don't do anything with my cam." Then I'm out.

So, what do you guys think? Reviews and flames are all welcome. I'll see you all in a bit. :)

~four-eyed 0-0