Wow! I don't think I've ever gotten such an incredible response just for the first chapter before! I guess I must have hit on a good idea, huh? Well, I've kept you waiting almost a week and that's long enough. I hope I live up to your expectations.
I closed the last drawer and slid my empty suitcase under the bed. The room was beginning to feel small and claustrophobic and I decided to go back to the commons room. Hiei had not come back yet and that gave me all the more reason to leave before he reappeared. I checked the hall for my dark haired roommate and, finding it deserted, left my room.
I walked down the dimly lit hallway, my footsteps echoing all around me. I could only imagine what gruesome aspect this place must take on at night.
'You'll not have to wait long to find out,' Youko's voice was back again. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to ignore it. My whole purpose in being here was in silencing him, a goal I would accomplish no matter how taxing the fight.
When I emerged into the brighter commons I found myself again looking around for Hiei. I do not know if I wanted to find him or not, but no matter which was the case he was not there. Kuwabara was still sulking in a corner, whispering to his cat as he stroked it. A few other patients I had not met were watching TV. I stood there stupidly, feeling like a lost child. I was about to go dejectedly back to my room when a familiar voice stopped me.
"Hey, new guy!" I looked over to find Urameshi smiling and waving. He was playing cards at a table with two other patients. I managed to smile back as I quickly joined them.
"Hey, glad to see you're still alive. The way Hiei was screaming I wasn't sure Botan would get there in time to save you. I don't think I caught your name before," he said as I took the chair next to him.
"It's Shuichi," I supplied, "Minamino Shuichi. And you are Urameshi, correct?"
"Just call me Yusuke," he grinned again. His light mood was contagious. I found myself wondering why he was here. He had no obvious signs of illness. He did not lash out at people or talk to stuffed animals. I supposed he could be hiding it, just as I had hidden Youko for years.
"These guys have the room across from yours," Yusuke said, nodding at his fellow card players. "The redhead is Jin and that's Touya." I nodded at both of them.
"Pleasure to meet ya, it is. Always nice to see a new face," Jin said enthusiastically, or he said something very similar. It was hard to tell. His speech was very rapid and his thick Irish – or perhaps it was Scottish – accent made him difficult to understand. One look at him and it was obvious that he was full to bursting with energy. He could hardly sit still in his seat and he kept reorganizing the cards in his hand every few minutes. Touya was much more remote, colder. He looked at my critically and I got the impression he was trying to determine whether or not I was a threat. His glare was downright glacial. He impressed upon me the cool attitude of someone secluded, who rarely lost his temper. I had the sudden thought that this man was ice itself and Hiei, in comparison, was fire: two extremes, two polar opposites.
"You want in?" Yusuke urged me to join the game. I hesitated and honestly do not know if I would have accepted or not because I never go the chance. The sudden incessant chirping of birds floated in through the open window and a flock of sparrows went careening past. Jin's excitement exploded.
He uttered some manner of ecstatic, garbled nonsense far too quickly for me to catch and then threw himself at the window. Touya and Yusuke made to grab him, knocking the table over and scatter cards everywhere in the process, but they missed and in a moment the redhead had disappeared out the window.
"Genkai, he went after the damn birds again!" Yusuke yelled as he picked himself up off the floor. The old woman came hurrying into the room and stared out the window, watching Jin run circles through the grass, arms outstretched like a child.
"Why didn't you stop him!?" she barked.
"I tried!" Yusuke shot back. For a moment I thought the fight would continue, but the old woman just sighed and shook her head.
"I'm getting too old for this," she muttered as she left the room, presumably to go collect the runaway redhead. "And clean that mess up!" she yelled over her shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke muttered as he began picking up cards while Touya set the table upright once more. I sat unmoving in my chair, staring at the window. Yusuke must have caught my gaze because he shrugged and explained, "He thinks he can fly."
"Oh…" I said, trying to sound like I found his response perfectly reasonable and completely commonplace. "Does he…throw himself out of windows often?"
"Only when he sees a bird or something, and it's actually not as bad as it used to be," Yusuke said as though we were discussing the weather. "He's down to about once a month now. You should have seen him before. I'm telling ya, it's a good thing only the windows on the ground floor open or he'd have broken his neck by now."
I was suddenly overcome by the feeling of wanting to laugh and cry at the same time. If I had heard that story in any other context I might have laughed. In a novel or a movie it was humorous, funny, entertaining. But this was no novel or movie, this was my life. From this day on I would have to live day-in and day-out with this man who launched himself out of windows. I would have to eat my meals with a young man whose only close companion in life seemed to be a stuffed feline. I would have to share a room with a temperamental, testy, terrifying roommate who, for all I knew, might try to kill me in my sleep. This was my life and there was absolutely nothing funny about it.
"Are you alright?" Yusuke asked. Coming back to myself I realized my cheeks felt wet and hurriedly scrubbed at my face.
"Yes," I said after a long, calming breath, "yes, I'm fine." Yusuke stared at me and I knew instinctively that he was thinking up a scheme to cheer me up. That was the kind of person Yusuke was. He liked everyone to be happy. Suddenly his eyes lit up.
"I know. I'll give you a tour!" he announced.
"A tour?"
"Sure! I'll show you something you'll never forget." He was talking almost as fast and as excited as Jin. Grabbing my hand he yanked me from my seat and began to drag me down the hall. As the end came into sight I wondered which way he would go. Directly ahead was a set of doors, the stairs to the upper floors which could also be accessed by elevators in the commons. Another perpendicular hallway branched left and right. Yusuke stopped before the doors and turned to me with a broad grin.
"Down there," he said, pointing to the left," is the cafeteria and the infirmary. But it's what's down there," he turned to stare ominously down the right-hand hallway, "that's really interesting." His eyes sparkled with a mixture of excitement and boyish mischief. A moment of silence passed between us and I realized he was waiting for me to display some sort of burning curiosity before he continued. I shook my head lightly at his childishness and decided to indulge him.
"What is down there that is so interesting, Yusuke?" I asked innocently.
"Solitary confinement." His teeth flashed in the dim light as he smiled shamelessly and for a moment I found it disturbing how much he was enjoying this, how he considered gawking at suffering people as though they were exhibits in a zoo, treating them as some sort of freak show, entertainment. Perhaps he did have a dark reason for being here.
"Come on," he urged impatiently, pulling at my arm like an anxious child. Hesitantly I followed. I knew I should not go with him, but somehow I found myself unable to resist. I suppose I was curious about what sorts of people were confined to isolation, or maybe I am really just as sadistic as Yusuke. Whatever the reason, it is one of the few decisions I have ever made that I genuinely regret.
The hall was even darker than the main one with almost every light burnt out completely. The ones that still worked did so pitifully, flickering and buzzing in the dark. More than once I found myself glancing over my shoulder, as though expecting something to jump out of the shadows and attack me at any moment.
"This place was built in the fifties," Yusuke said, catching one of my nervous glances. 'This part of the building hasn't been renovated in a long time. It's kind of creepy, huh? Like a horror movie." His face was half hidden in shadows but I got the feeling he was grinning again. Yusuke's company had seemed so comforting a few minutes ago, how could it have become so unnerving so quickly?
We passed numerous rooms, all of them dark. Yusuke's steps quickened when we finally saw light ahead, pouring out through the small window in the door and spilling across the floor in a bright puddle.
"We only have two people in solitary right now," he said as he peered through the glass. He turned to me and gestured excitedly. "Take a look."
He moved aside and slowly I stepped up to the door. The small room was half the size of mine, containing only a small bed pushed up against one wall. There was no window, no glass portal to the outside world, save the small half-foot square I was looking through. Looking at such a dreary, empty living space gave me a new appreciation for my own cramped room. At least mine was cluttered with furniture.
Movement caught my eye and I noticed a figure on the floor, huddled in the far corner. He was far too thin and his long, white hair cascaded to the floor, fanning out on the tile around him. He looked too young for that white hair. Slowly, as though it was a great effort to move, he looked up and met my gaze. I felt myself stiffen. The eyes that met mine were bloodshot and crazed. He had the eyes of a rabid animal.
His sudden movement belied the weariness he had only just displayed. Indeed, I did not even realize he had moved until his face was pressed against the glass, hot breath fogging it. With a startled cry I fell back and landed hard on the cold floor. He glared at me for a moment more before retreating from my sight, leaving a steamy spot on the glass. I became aware Yusuke's laughter was echoing through the hall and turned to him infuriated, humiliated, and breathing hard.
"That was not funny!" I gasped, slowly getting up off the floor to stand on shaky legs. He stopped laughing and the quickness of it, the sudden absence of sound as the echoes dwindled away, sent a shiver down my spine. I was beginning to understand that Yusuke was a very delicate person, with the potential to be as dangerous as Hiei.
"That's Raizen," he said good-naturedly. I coughed to hide my obvious discomfort at his wild mood swings. "He refuses to eat. Oh, and he's a bit violent." I only stared at him as he turned briskly and stared down the hallway once more. I almost did not follow him. I almost went back. But I did not. With one last glance at Raizen's steamy window I let Yusuke lead me further into the darkness.
We did not have to go far to find the other occupied room. A light loomed ahead of us like a beacon in the dark. Yusuke stepped up to it without hesitation and peered inside.
"This is Mukuro," he said, again stepping aside and waiting for me to look. I wanted to leave. I wanted to turn and run back down the hallway as fast as I could. But I did not. I stepped forward and peered through the glass.
A figure sat on the bed with its head down. I could not tell if it was male or female. Sadness and despair seemed to radiate off it in waves that I could feel even through the thick door. Just as Raizen had, the figure seemed to sense me there and looked up. I gasped. One side of its face was horribly burned. The eye, the cheek, everything was nothing but a mess of twisted flesh that made my stomach clench. It was not red and glossy like a burn from flames but lifeless and grey. Acid perhaps? I stared in fascination, in pure morbid curiosity. The creature inside stared back with its one good eye, never breaking my gaze.
Without warning something grabbed me from behind and slammed me into the wall. Hard. The breath was knocked out of me and my eyes shut reflexively as bright spots of light danced before them. I blinked them away and, when I could focus again, found myself staring directly into seething red irises.
"You bastard!" Hiei growled. His hand shot to my throat and squeezed, cutting off my air.
"Hiei, stop!" Yusuke tried to pry my roommate off of me as my head began to swim from the lack of oxygen. "You're going to kill him!"
"He deserves it!" Hiei spat. For the briefest moment his eyes shifted to Yusuke. "And you're next." Yusuke froze at that threat and Hiei managed a left hook to Yusuke's face with his free hand. The spots before my eyes were back and I felt cold sweat on my neck and back as I realized he really was going to kill me.
"Hi—" I tried to choke out his name but his hold was too restricting.
"Hiei, I made him come!" Yusuke cried from the floor, wiping blood from his split lip on his sleeve. Hiei's grip relaxed enough for me to breathe a little, though only enough to keep me from passing out. His attention was on Yusuke now, who hurried on in my defense. "It was my idea and I made him come. He wasn't even enjoying it. Raizen scared the crap out of him."
Those blood red eyes shifted to me again. I stared back, terrified to make any move in case it was the wrong one. Suddenly his other hand grabbed my shoulder and in one fluid motion he turned me around and forced my face against Mukuro's window, all without breaking his hold on my neck.
"Do you pity her?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. I hesitated. What did he want me to say?
"Do you pity her?!" he yelled louder, banging my head against the glass. I looked at her again. She stared back at me as calmly as before.
"What happened to her?" I whispered before I could stop myself. I waited breathlessly, wondering what Hiei's reaction would be.
"She burned herself." His voice was calm, gentle even. If I had not heard it myself I would not have believed he was capable of such an almost caring tone of voice.
"She did that to herself?"
"She poured acid on herself." He did not say this with the same careless matter-of-factness Yusuke would have used. It was still emotionless, still matter-of-fact, but definitely not careless.
"Why?" Hiei's hand had eased in its hold on my throat and now was loosely resting beneath my chin, allowing me ample room to breathe.
"She wanted to maker herself less attractive. So her father would stop raping her." I hated myself the moment those words left his mouth. I loathed myself. I almost wished Hiei was still strangling me. At least that was better than the unbearable pain that blossomed in my heart at that moment. What further damage had I dealt this poor soul, gawking at her like she was a specimen in a bottle? I should never have gone with Yusuke. I should have turned back at the first hint of his malicious sense of humor. God, I can be an idiot sometimes.
"Do you pity her?" Hiei asked again, much quieter than before. My vision was quickly being obscured by hot tears and I dropped my head shamefully, shaking it slowly.
"No," I whispered. "I pity myself."
Hiei's withdrew his hands from me. I assume he must have threatened Yusuke once more before he left, or maybe Yusuke was already gone because by the time I felt strong enough to turn around I was alone in the hall.
Hugging myself I started back down the hall alone. I suddenly felt exhausted and concentrated my gaze on my feet as I walked, my only goal to make it back to my room and go promptly to sleep. I doubted Hiei would bother me now. I had just passed Raizen's room when an unfamiliar voice rang out down the hallway.
"Hello, I don't believe we've met." My head shot up to see a tall man standing in front of me. He had long black hair, longer even than mine, and piercing violet eyes. A mask covered his lower face, like a beak. He reminded me of a crow.
"My name is Karasu," he said silkily. Something about him made goose bumps rise up on my arms. After the disaster that Yusuke turned out to be I decided not to ignore my instincts again. I remained silent, watching him closely. He took a step forward and I took one back, stepping into the light streaming from Raizen's door.
"You know," he said, moving forward again, "it's common courtesy to offer your name when someone gives you theirs." The muscles in my jaw clenched as he took two much faster strides forward and was suddenly right next to me. A pale hand reached out to hover around my neck. I shivered, despite the fact that he did not actually touch me.
"That's a nasty bruise," he said. His hand moved up to caress my cheek. "It's a good thing he didn't mar your beautiful face or I would have had to kill him myself." The moment the cool fingertips touched my skin I panicked.
My movements made clumsy by fear, I managed to shove him away from me and run down the hall before he could recover. I heard his footsteps behind me, or maybe that was just the echo of my own footfalls. I ran faster, almost loosing my balance when I tried to take a hard left as I finally emerged from the cursed hallway. There were more people in the main hall now, probably going to dinner, and I weaved and dodged between them, never daring to look back. My door came into sight and I lunged at it, sweaty palms slipping over the smooth doorknob. Finally I managed to turn it and threw the door opened, tumbled through, and slammed it behind me.
I laid there against the door, panting and shaking, trying desperately to get a hold on myself and failing miserably. Even Youko had no snide comments or witty remarks to offer. When I bothered to look around the room I froze. Hiei was sitting on his bed watching me. He made no move to help me, only sat there staring. However, as I looked at him I almost immediately felt calmer, safer. In a few minutes I had managed to return my breathing and heartbeat to normal. Now that my crisis was over an awkward silence hung between us.
"Hiei," I began. His gaze intensified and I almost looked away, but I knew I needed to say this to him directly. "I am sorry."
"Yusuke's an idiot," he shrugged. And just like that the tension was gone. The ghost of a smile pulled at my lips and I slowly got off the floor and crossed the room to my bed. I laid down on it gratefully. Glancing at the window I saw that the sun was setting and sighed. My gaze drifted to Hiei and I found myself staring at my odd roommate. In the span of a few hours he had threatened to kill me twice and now acted as though we were old friends. I knew my words in the hallway and my apology a moment ago must have changed his mind about me, but I was too tired from the day's events to worry about where we stood now. At least it did not appear as though I was an enemy any longer. Tucking one arm up under the pillow I hoped everyday would not be as harrowing as this before I drifted off into oblivion.