Before you all come at me with your kunai and katana, I have to say that the end is near and that's why I've been so blocked up! I've been plotting for months and weeks of how to end this so that all my readers will be happy, and I've found a solution! So do not fret for my brain has awaken from its slumber and I shall write again! Thank you for waiting and please enjoy!!
Kurama retrieved her present from the Christmas tree downstairs and stood up straight before heading back upstairs. He stopped in the hall, however, upon seeing someone exit his brother's room. He readied to fight, but was relieved when the figure turned. "Hiei, you really should try using the front door."
The fire demon closed Shuichi's room, "Hn, no thanks."
"What are you doing here?" Kurama asked, going over to his friend.
"I came when I heard Izumy was here," He replied. When the red head raised his brow at Hiei, the fire demon frowned. "I'm her bodyguard. I came to make sure she didn't run into any Yoko problems…"
"Well don't worry," Kurama replied, heading to his room, putting a hand on the doorknob. "I have Yoko under control, and Izumy is just fi-" He stopped in mid-sentence at the sight in his room.
"Oh Shuichi," Shiori began, knocking on the door of Kurama's room. She blinked at no answer and adjusted the tray of snacks and drinks that she had in her hand so that she could open the door. "Shuichi, is everything alright?"
She opened the door and smiled some, seeing Kurama sitting on his bed and reading. "Hello Shuichi, I just thought I'd bring you and Izumy something to snack on." She stepped in and looked around the room curiously. "Where is she?"
"Oh, she's in the restroom," Kurama said.
Shiori turned to wall behind her on her left, looking at the door and smiled some when she heard the sink water running. "Alright, I'll just leave them here for you." She went over and set them down on the small table Kurama had in the far right corner where he kept a picture of Shiori, while she was pregnant, and his father who passed away (I'm assuming). She smiled, touching the picture before going over to Kurama.
She gave him a small hug, "I'm happy for you honey."
Kurama waited until she pulled back to give her a quizzical look, "Why mother?"
Shiori just shook her head, smiling, "No reason, love, no reason." She turned and left the room, leaving a confused Kurama in her wake.
After a little while, the bathroom door opened and Hiei poked his head out, "Hn, is she gone?"
Kurama nodded, "Yes." He put down his book and went over as Hiei opened the bathroom door wider and Kurama sighed, leaning against the doorway. Both young men shook their heads slightly at the three-foot-nothing, six-year-old brunette that sat on the toilet, swinging her legs and looking at them with big, bright, lavender eyes.
She beamed at them, "That was fun! What can we play next?"
"I just KNEW something like this would happen!!" Sanura exclaimed angrily, pacing back in forth in the living room. She looked to Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Jin, Touya, Rinku, and Chuu with burning blue eyes, "I knew I shouldn't have let her go anywhere, and what happens? She gets turned into a six-year-old right under your noses!!"
Hiei glanced aside as Kurama sighed, "Sanura, I apologize. I have to admit, I was careless in not warning her about it, but I don't think it helps the situation to yell."
Sanura shook her head, "No, you don't get to be the nice guy on this one! It's your fault that she was transformed into a kid! Now how are we going to protect her?" She wanted to know, looking at them.
"Shouldn't taking care of a kid be easier?" Kuwabara asked.
"Oh yeah, I mean it's so easy to keep track of a little kid, especially one who knows her way around Japan," Yusuke said sarcastically, causing Kuwabara to look at him and frown. "Moron, it's harder to watch a kid! Teenage Izumy knows what she's doing, but who knows what's going through this kid Izumy's head."
"Precisely, and did you forget the entire Demon World Black Market is hot on our tail? How is she going to protect herself now?" Sanura demanded before putting her hands on her hips and taking deep, partially leveled breaths. "Alright…how long do these effects last?"
Kurama glanced over and thought a minute, "It will vary. She's a Mirror Demon, which means her genetic make-up will be far different from a regular demon's. This could have a longer lasting hold on her, it could not. Also, it's unsure how much she drank."
Sanura nodded, "So, we'll just have to wait it out…alright, we can do that. She'll just have to stay in the house at all times, and two of you will have to watch her, take turns on shifts, I don't care. We can't risk the enemy knowing of her situation, otherwise, they're going to take a mile with this step."
The bodyguards all nodded in agreement.
"Hey!" A young voice exclaimed, causing everyone to turn and lower their eyes to the now much younger Izumy. She was dressed in a long sleeved red shirt, overalls, and some tennis shoes, her hair done in low pigtails.
Sanura smiled, "What's wrong Izumy?"
"Don't treat me like a baby, I can handle myself!" She exclaimed, stepping in front of Sanura angrily. "I may be younger, but my ability to fight and defend myself hasn't changed. I don't want any of you worrying over me or putting yourselves in danger just because of me. I know I made a stupid mistake, so you shouldn't be yelling at the boys either."
Yusuke blinked and smiled lightly, along with most of the other boys. Even though she looked and sounded younger, she was still the same, and they were all relieved.
"I may be small, but I don't need nine people constantly watching me and making sure I don't trip and scrape my knee," She nodded firmly, "I can take care of myself, don't count me out of the running for this game just yet, alright?"
Sanura stood straight and sighed some, about to say something when Yukina walked in with a large plate of cookies.
Izumy turned at the smell and smiled wide, her eyes shinning, "Cookies!!" She ran over and sat on her knees at the low coffee table where Yukina put the plate, earning looks of doubt and complete loss of inspiration and some faith as they all looked at Izumy, Jin starting to snicker. "They look delicious Yukina!"
"Why thank you Izumy, would you like some milk?" The ice apparition asked.
"Oh yes please!" Izumy smiled wide, picking up a cookie and chomping into it.
Kurama smiled some, watching the little girl as Hiei glanced over lightly before standing and heading to his windowsill. Jin went over and starting chatting with Izumy, eating a cookie himself and making her laugh.
Sanura sighed, "This is going to be a little harder than I thought."
"Come on, ice princess, you'll never catch me that way!" Jin teased, running along the backyard.
"Oh yes I will!" Izumy exclaimed. She chased after him, both of them laughing with Izumy trying to catch him.
"As if we didn't already have enough kids in this house, he goes and reverts to one himself," Touya sighed.
"Ah, come on now Touya, they're havin' fun with it!" Chuu grinned, patting him on the back rather hard.
"I think it's adorable! I can't remember the last time we had a little girl to fawn over!" Botan said, smiling wide at the situation.
Kurama attempted to smile, but couldn't help but cringe mentally. Over the past couple days, Jin had found his way into the little girl's heart, playing games with her, watching cartoons with her, even going on midnight pudding raids with the six-year-old! It made the situation no better that he couldn't really relate to a child. Sure, she still knew everything the teenage Izumy knew. She knew how to fight, the whole demon, human, and spirit world concept. She even knew how to do complicated algebra questions. No, the only difference was that she had found a new fetish for games and fun with reckless abandon, such as sliding down the stair railings. The only thing was, he could never stay mad for long. He smiled some when he saw how happy Izumy was, how sweet her face looked as she laughed with enjoyment. It made him happy to see her happy, despite the fact that he was upset that he couldn't compete with Jin when it came to such childish things as midnight pudding raids...
However, if Kurama thought he was upset, it was nowhere near Hiei's dark mood. He watched as Jin took Izumy by both hands and flew into the air with her, making the little brunette laugh with the utmost delight. His red orbs burned into the flying red head's face before he glanced away from the window, looking ahead as he crossed his arms in temper.
Yet, when Izumy screamed from Jin dropping her and laughed again when he caught her, Hiei sighed some and smirked very slightly.
So, Izumy has turned into a six-year-old child. Normally, this would drive anyone on edge. Luckily, everyone seems to be enjoying this little break! How long can this break last, I wonder? Find out in the next chapters of Smoke and Mirrors!