A Forest on Fire (KuramaxOc)

Ch 8: Weekend at Genkai's

[A/N: I decided to go ahead and post this one early since I'm so excited for this chapter!!

9/18/23: small updates to Ben's section of the chapter.]

Friday morning had finally arrived!! Yumiko was busy packing the last of what she would need over the weekend when the doorbell rang. She heard Mako open the door, followed by a muffled conversation, and a knock on her own door. She opened it to find a very grumpy looking cat-demon hybrid peering down at her.

"Your pet human is here..." he mumbled low enough that only she could hear. He was still very unhappy about the boy going to this tournament, especially after they had found out that her first mission aiding the spirit detective would be taking place at the same time!

"I still don't know why I'm letting you do this..." he growled, but she patted him on the head, having to stand on her tiptoes as she did so to reach.

"Because you're being on your best behavior after being caught spying on me, isn't that right Mako? Maybe you should read about what happens to cats too curious for their own good!" She said in a sing-song voice, a huge grin on her face.

"Hnnn, and maybe you should remember I can still kick your ass! Go on, get out of here before I change my mind..." He growled, but she could see the playful expression in his eyes. She giggled and pushed past him, making her way out the front door. Kenji stood just outside, peering out the hallway's massive glass windows as he waited for her. She couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face when he saw her!

Kenji's jaw had fallen open at the sight of the orange-and-cream haired girl before him. She had chosen a slender, spaghetti strap, light-blue dress that ended just past her knees, and the same smoke grey ribbon she had tied in her hair on her first day of school.
To say he was entranced would have been an understatement!

Yumiko grinned as she took in his appearance as well! He still had his hair in it's iconic greasy spikes, but he had traded the Meiou academy uniform for denim jeans and a Kona Sume band tee that had the pop idol singing into a microphone on the front.

"Good morning, Kenji!" She said brightly as the boy picked his jaw up off the floor, as well as the decent-sized duffel bag he had brought for the trip.

"Good morning, Yumi! Thanks again for letting me come with you this weekend! So that's the bento maker huh? He looked soooo sour when I opened the door! How does a sour-puss like that make such cute bentos for you?"

Behind her, Yumi's sensitive ears could just make out the sound of Mako's growl from inside the apartment, and she giggled.

"Oh, don't worry about Mako, he's just grumpy that a boy's stealing me away for the weekend. That, and the fact that he isn't allowed to come with us."

Kenji had startled slightly at the comment about stealing her away, a small blush on his cheeks as he went to respond, but her next comment made him pause. "Wait, why isn't he allowed to come with us?" He asked curiously.

"Don't know!" She replied, looking up to the sky . "Master Genkai said so... Something about not having forgiven him for some stunt he pulled while helping her set up, but no one's telling me what that stunt was. When I asked Mako, he just blushed really bad and said he didn't want to talk about it! Anyways..."

She turned to face him as they made their way to the train station that would take them close to the temple grounds. She held up a finger as she walked backwards, just as she had with Shuichi.

"Master wanted me to tell you all the rules before we get there. Breakfast and dinner are served at the same time every day. If  you miss those, you have to fend for yourself. There's a kitchen we can use for lunch, and it's always stocked with plenty of snacks and stuff. No wondering around the grounds alone. You need me, Genkai, or one of the other students to be with you at all times! That's really important, if she finds you wondering around where you're not supposed to be, she'll kick you out!" She paused for a breath, then continued as he nodded along.