A/N: Yay! New fanfic! Woot! Yaoi this time, and hopefully better written! Yeah, this was inspired by a few things 1) A picture I drew earlier today 2) Lack of anything to do, all day and 3) The underlying cause, the Twilight series. Don't worry, it's not going to be Twilight re-written. Just inspirational. Anyway, this is just something I'm doing to fill in space. Since I'm no longer a dish washer, I now have time to do stuff again! For a while. Yeah. If you want to see the picture, go to my profile. There will be a deviantArt link there.
Warnings: I have no idea how far this is gonna go. I doubt there's gonna be anything too hardcore, but there may be a lime-ish scene. I don't think I'd be good at writing a lemon, so I'm not going to test that out on this one. (I don't think) Anyway, So I'll rate it T for now. So here we go:
Rating: T Genre: Romance/Humor Pairing: HieiXKurama YAOI/SHONEN AI Please don't read if you're not interested
This story is AU, meaning Alternate Universe.
Uhh...Can't think of anything else to say right now.
Disclaimer: Surely, you understand, that it would probably be a bad thing if I owned Yu Yu Hakusho?
Onward!
oOoOo KURAMA'S POINT OF VIEW oOoOo
6:59 A.M. -:Click:- I turn my alarm clock off before it has a chance to go off. I've been awake for an hour or so already. It's been like this for a few nights now. The anticipation of the unknown once I drift off to dreamland keeps me awake at night, and returning nightmares wake me prematurely. All together, rounding up, I would say I had about 4 hours of sleep last night. Half of the 8 hours I need to function properly. As badly as I want to roll over and go back to sleep, despite myself, I know that I can't. There is work to be done, and bills don't pay themselves.
I rolled off my bed and forced myself up on my legs. Leaning momentarily against my nightstand, I try to shake off my sleepy haze. Pretending that I'm satisfied and rested, even though I was neither, I made my way to the adjourning bathroom to take my routine morning shower. Convincing myself to get into the warm water proved to be a chore all on it's own. However, once the water fell into the familiar pattern of spraying down my back, I soon decided that I could stand there all day. Refreshing as it was, all good things must come to an end. I sigh as I step out into the steam filled room, wrapping myself in a pathetic excuse for a towel, the phrase 'I'm only human' popped into my mind as I wiped down the mirror. The man staring back at me was a new face. He looked old and tired, his weariness very evident on his features. His long red locks curled in a messy, wet, heap above his eyes and around his face, making his cheeks look hallow, giving him an empty look. It took me a minute to acknowledge that the pale green eyes that were staring directly at me were none other than my own.
I scowled at my reflection and wiped at the mirror again, as if swiping it with the towel would make me look more like myself. Of coarse, it didn't help. And it made me furious. So I wouldn't have to look at myself any longer than necessary, I yanked a comb through my long hair, and stormed out of the bathroom. Picking out a simple black turtle neck and khakis, I dressed and left my apartment without even a thought about breakfast.
Opening a flower shop wasn't very difficult, nothing like mornings in a restaurant or anything. Our shop is more of a "Do it yourself" center, than a flower shop. But the flowers are what seem to really get noticed. However, it did seem a little ridiculous to me to open a flower shop at 8 in the morning. Who's going to want to buy flowers or shovels that early? But it's not my decision, and it's not up for discussion. I don't own the shop, I just maintain it. My uncle owns it. My natural talent in the gardening field instantly perked his interest, and he immediately offered me a position the second I so much as thought the words 'Time to get a job' for the first time.
I glance at the vegetation as I wander to the back room. It's Tuesday today, we won't have much business. It'll just be me and the new girl today. I yawn as I shimmy into my work apron and clock in for the day. The new girl, Shizuru, came in not 30 seconds later. She's a nice girl, but it bugs me how observant she is. Good for an employee, bad for someone who prefer keep things short and sweet. "What's the matter, Shuichi?" She asked in an almost monotone as she slipped past me to clock in as well. "You look tired..." I yawn again, as if to prove her right. She smiled. She must be used to my silence by now. I set to work clipping dead leaves and watering flowers as she moved to stock shelves.
I began to feel the effects of my sleepless nights as my body threatened to nod off. In hope of preventing loss of my job, I shook my head and searched my thoughts to busy my mind with so I would hopefully stay awake.
It's times like this, when it's quiet, that my mind tends to wander. At the moment, my thoughts drifted to my current dreams. For some reason I keep dreaming about everyday news stories, blown way out of proportion. It'll start off with me reading a news paper or watching a news cast about an old woman having a heart attack; black ice catching the logging trucks off guard, causing a pile up; or a group of teenagers who drank irresponsibly. Tragic deaths that happen so often its almost suspicious. But always, there was always something out of place. My mind would race to find the hidden meaning. I would always end up meeting a dark man. White marble skin with eyes that were cold and black, as if he was the embodiment of darkness itself. He would introduce me to his girlfriend, a different girl every night, and he would treat us to dinner. Halfway through the meal, he would lean over to kiss his lady friend, right below her ear. I would always look away, to be polite. But then she would scream. The setting would shatter and the next thing I knew, she lay there, lifeless on the ground at his feet. His face was menacing, and he would smile at me, revealing long, sharp, irregular teeth that I quickly realized were fangs. Blood smeared across his chin, he would slowly inch toward me, asking how I liked the meal and to join him again the next night. Then I would see a picture of the girl in the news paper the next morning, 'WOMAN BRUTALLY RAPED AND MURDERED FOUND DEAD ON RIVERBANK'. And then I would always wake up with a start, sweating and panting.
"Vampire..." I whispered to myself, heading for the tulips. I've never given the idea a second thought. Fantasy. Folklore. What was the point in dreaming so wantonly about something that was so fake? Vampires and werewolves, dragons, witches, fairies, ghosts, it was all a bunch of fairy tales made up to entertain children. I've always felt the same way about the supernatural, so why was my subconscious forcing me to think about it now?
I heard Shizuru turn the TV on, a typical move to relieve the stress of silence. I was grateful for the action, and decided to focus my hearing on the extended forecast so I wouldn't think anymore of this nonsense. Falling back into the routine pattern, my attention was caught off guard when I heard the bell tied around the door ring as it opened and closed. Glancing up, I noticed that we had our first customer for the day. My eyes caught a glimpse at the clock, perhaps I was hoping time was moving quicker since we were getting customers now, and was taken by surprise to find that it was only 10 after 8. Astonished I looked back at our customer. "Welcome..." I greeted, the surprise evident in my voice. I stood up from my crouched position to tend properly to business, as was my job. When I looked back at the customer, I realized that he was closer that I'd thought. He was short, and standing not a foot in front of me. And I got a good look at him, for he was staring heatedly, right into my eyes, as if to judge whether I was real or not.
However, it was me having the 'Is this guy...real?' thought as I stared right back into his eyes. A rich, purplish violet color. Odd, I thought, to be an eye color. Looks more like a color one would paint their car... His features were sharp and perfectly angular, yet soft and gently accented by the round curve of his cheekbones. His lips full his hair was spikey and staggered, black with white...streaks? It jutted out in every direction, as if he'd walked right out of an anime. All at the same time, it layed elegantly in a layered sheet on the back of his neck. Long is some places, short in others. I'm sure I was blushing about the close proximity. But I was too engrossed with the creature in front of me to notice. His skin was the part that took me off guard. White as a sheet. Pale as snow. Darker around his eye sockets, as if recovering from deep purple bruises. On BOTH eyes, that perfectly matched each other. The crisp, milky tone of his skin did not match the tan that most were sporting this time of year. It was the middle of summer for crying out loud! The rationality in my mind quickly returned when he closed his eyes and took half a step back. It's hard to think with anyone that close.
He crossed his arms and let out a deep sigh. His breath washed over my senses like a breath of much needed fresh air. A job site can't smell much better than a flower shop, but somehow, even surrounded by every flower conceivable, I had never smelled something so...sweet, so intoxicating. I blinked for a moment, unsure about where the smell originated. I wobbled a bit, subconsciously trying to locate the epicenter of the onslaught, like a moth to a light. Shaking my head, I turned my attention to my short customer. He was smiling, a crooked, half-assed smirk. Maybe he smelled it too? I took in a deep breath through my mouth and searched for the formality that was my duty.
"Can I help you, sir?" I asked politely. "I'd like to see you try. You're practically dead on your feet." was his reply. If I hadn't been so stunned by the majestic sound of his deep, beautiful voice, I would've felt offended. Wait...Beautiful? This is a male...isn't it? I mean, obviously, a woman wouldn't have that deep a voice...but...why..."What can I do for you?" I asked, trying to keep the confusion out of my voice. He let out a fake, half hearted, throaty, laugh. And then he was all business. "I'm here to buy a present for my sister; it's her birthday today. I can't find anything to buy her that she doesn't already have, so I decided on flowers." Shizuru came around the corner at that moment, and instantly fell in behind me. She was obviously just as impressed by the short man's appearance as me. I glanced at her, gently nudging her to knock her out of her stare as I turned to go around her. "Alright then. Do you have anything in mind?" I asked the man, motioning for him to follow. After a moment of consideration, he fallowed suit, now being extra careful not to get too close to me.
"Do you have roses?" He asked. I stopped in front of the rose section, my crowning achievement. I liked him better already. "Sure do. Which color?" He paused to think about it for a moment. He turned to me again without actually looking at me. "I want 11 white and one red." An odd request. But who was I to question his judgment. "A dozen roses it is." I filed through the white roses, collecting the ones he found suitable for his sister. He wasn't bad at this, the chose fairly young ones that would be fully bloomed within the next day or so. Then the red one, he had me choose. I wasn't sure why this felt so significant to me, since people had always asked me for my opinion. Maybe it was because he was so good at picking them out already, that there was no need for my assistance. I felt a little pressure, as if he was almost...better...at picking out the roses.
Mentally slapping myself, I picked out the best looking rose I could find, one I knew would last for a while. He had me arrange them in a circular bouquet, with the red rose directly in the middle. He chose a silver wrapper to go around the bouquet, with a white lace ribbon for the bow. From the roses he ordered, I gathered that his sister must either be high class, or he must hold her in high regard. We made our way to the cash register, and before I could tell him the final cost for his quarry, he sat the exact change on the counter, careful not to touch my hand as he did so. Baffled, I took the change and printed his receipt. Preparing to hand it to him, I heard the cowbell ring again. He was standing at the now wide open door. He glanced at me over his shoulder before gliding out. "Thank you, Shuichi." He said as the door shut snugly behind him. I couldn't remember telling him my name, so of coarse, this left me in a haze of confusion. I glanced back at the clock. 8:15. I'd only spent five minutes with the mystery man... It seemed like he'd been here for an hour at least!
oOoOoOoOEnd chapter 1oOoOoOoO
A/N: Well, I hope it'll start to pick up from here and that things'll get a bit more humorous. It's gonna be hard...maybe I should cut the humor part? I don't know. Oh wells. Please review, and thanks for reading!